To Aru Majutsu no Index: Diary
by Tensouls
Summary: When he was still on this Earth, he had made a lot of memories with them, he had had a lot of meaningful moments with them. Those moments that he treasured deeply to the bottom of his heart, now, lived on in a single notebook that he always carried with him. The memories that will never fade with time. Spin-off of The Lost Light (Touma X Harem)
1. A-Fortunate-Christmas (1)

**Hi everyone, It's the author of The Lost Light here (smile awkwardly) It has been...three months, hasn't it?**

 **Alright, I know what you was wondering, where am I in these past 3 months? Let me share you a story.**

 **In the past 90 days...or more?...wait, was it more or less?...nevermind, continuing...While I was exhausted with two IT projects at school, my laptop suddenly gave up on me and crashed. I didn't have the change to recovery the newest chapter of TLL along with the rest of the drafts of the future arcs so it was kind of a little shocked to see my whole effort had went down the drain in less than five seconds (tears forming in eyes).**

 **And...not to mention the projects at school also ended up in the same state (since I did them on the laptop), meaning they went down the drain, too. Shocked, broken hearted, I...got back to feet again thanks to the others in my group (this is a group project, sorry, no trolling intended =]]). It was a really wide ride.  
**

 **Since now, everything is done and the new course is approaching, I have a little bit free time to write this idea and start the other three stories again.**

 **So, to sum up my whole point. (bow my head down) Sorry for this sudden new story, but since TLL chapter 6's progress has went back to 0%. I need time to make a new draft for it again. So there you have it.**

 **About this story: As a spin-off and as the title of the story suggests, this is what was written in that "Diary" of him. Although saying it's a Diary, please don't mind about the change of perspective, though. It's just to make the prequel of TLL more openly to characters' feelings and emotions.**

 **Alright, enough of my nonsense rambling.**

 **Enjoy the story~.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own To Aru Majutsu no Index.**

* * *

 **Memories_of_HIM**

 _ **Diary Entry #?**_

 **A_Fortunate_Christmas (1)**

The snow were falling.

It fell down on the cold, solid ground and lied there.

Sometime, the tiny crystalline water was gently moved by a brief wind as it waited until the winter season passed, until the sun rose up tomorrow morning and make its existence fade away with the warm light the giant fire ball emits.

That was how the cycle of nature worked.

No.

That was what should have happened for that little crystalline water.

It didn't happen at all.

Its existence was instantly disappeared faster than how the nature has proceeded. And that happened just because of a simple drop of water fell down on top the small crystalline snow. It melted away upon the contact, along with that single drop of water.

Then, around the melting spot, several drop of waters also dripped down from above.

A small gasp could be heard, then came a heavy breathing sound, it all came from a certain boy.

"….*gasp*…..*gasp*….."

The boy grabbed his own chest and stopped his gasp as he was trying to suppress it down. Feeling like the air in his lung was making him give in to the exhaustion, he inhaled and exhaled deeply.

Several drop of waters fell down on the snowy surface once more.

The boy blinked at the ground, he brought a hand to his forehead and wept all those waters that were dripping down his face.

Cold sweat.

For some reason, cold sweat was all over his face. Even in the middle of the winter season, sweat was still able to form around his forehead.

"….."

Weeping away the sweat on his face with his sleeve next, the boy let out a small sigh. He looked around the place where he was at.

Snow was everywhere, it piled up little by little on the street.

People was walking, talking together with a cheerful, happy smile on their facial expression.

The boy then looked up to the neon lights that were hanged above his head.

Many decoration rope with more than ten colorful neon lights attached were hanged up there with many bright colors, blue, red, yellow and white. Alone, they filled up the entire place, lightened up the mood further for the citizen to enjoy the very last holiday of the year.

That's right.

Today was Christmas.

Every district in the Academy City was decorated with these beautiful, bright lights.

Every place was filled with a mood that was so Christmas-y.

Everyone looked so happy.

Everyone looked so cheerful.

That was obvious, Christmas day is the holiday for all the people around the world to take a break from their usual daily work, a meaningful festival for everyone to gather around the same table and receive gift from each other or from the legendary symbol of the Christmas itself, Santa Claus…if he truly exists in this age though.

Either way, in this world that filled with Magic and Science, who can say that Saint Nicholas isn't out there to secretly give gift to every good child around the world.

Who can deny the illusion….no…the dream that people has created from long time ago and break the happiness this day brings to them.

…..that's right.

That is Christmas.

It was meant to be like that, one of the special occasion in a year that one person could feel happy.

And yet…

…..why…?

There was still one exception, a single existence that apparently didn't seem to go along well with this great holiday.

…why didn't I feel any happy at all?

It was the boy whom life has always been messed around by the so called misfortune.

Kamijou Touma grabbed the tip of the black scarf with red, white pattern he was wearing around his neck and threw it behind his shoulder. The boy fixed the scarf to hug closer to his skin so no cold wind can sneak through any gaps and freeze his flesh down to the bone as the moisture from the sweat started to make him shiver.

The boy stood up from a bench that was covered in a thick layer of snow like a white blanket. As his hands pushed down his leg to support the weight of his body, the boy realized they was shaking slightly.

It was not due to the cold winter, the boy himself was nervous about something else.

He knew the reason, but he decided not to say it out loud. He needed to control it, to resist this terrified feeling that was slowly swelling up in his stomach.

But now he wasn't sure it he can manage it. That feeling has nearly reached its peak.

It may automatically shoot off the chart it he didn't do something to deal with it. And unfortunately, he didn't know what he should do. In fact, he is absolutely confused at the moment.

The boy let out a small sigh, his breath barely visible in a fainted smoke. He grabbed his shaking left hand with the right which was also in the same state.

Something is not right.

….this is definitely not right….

The time was in the evening. Right now, he was alone on the street in District 7.

Which was perfect.

He wanted to be alone on the street. Because ever since the morning of this day came, he could not comprehend what was happening with his life.

Something is wrong.

…..definitely wrong…..

Just why…?

Throughout the entire day….how come..?

"How come nothing bad has happened to me?"

Kamijou Touma muttered to himself in a doubtful tone.

It was Christmas and nothing bad has happened to him. For the spiky haired boy, this is surely a strange type of event that rarely occurred in his life.

Why was it strange?

Considering how often misfortune brings his life upside down every day, a day without misfortune is, without a doubt, completely abnormal.

What made it even stranger was that ever since the clock pointed at zero hour, which was the exact time when Christmas day started, **good things has begun to happen to him**.

The spiky haired boy scanned his surrounding and slowly placed his foot forward, watching his every steps as he walked.

He flinched when a pile of snow on top the nearby three fell down right in front of his feet instead of his head.

He stumbled backward due to accidently stepped on a frozen pond but didn't feel any pain as the soft layer of snow protect him from having a hurtful impact.

Some passerby gave him a concerned look while he lied there on the roadside.

Putting on blank face, the spiky haired boy slowly sat up and looked down on the snowy ground, his bang cover half of his face.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"That fall looks painful, can you stand up?"

Two feminine voices came to his ear, a pair of shadows went into his view. Kamijou raised up his head to look, he was about to reply back.

But…..

Before he could even utter a single word from his throat, his eyes went wide and his jaw nearly dropped at the sight.

Two beautiful onee-sans were staring at him with kind eyes, a hand extended out from one of them, offering to help the boy stand up.

"Here let onee-san help you stand up…..hm? What is with that look? Are you feeling alright?"

"…."

Voicelessly, Kamijou reached out to that hand and the two pulled him up onto his feet.

"There you go, be careful with you steps, okay."

One of the girl beamed a smile at him, the force from that smile could carry enough damage to bring out a "doki" from the spiky haired boy. Usually, that was what should have happened to him since his type of ideal girl was an older sister dorm manager.

But somehow…

"Um, why are you still looking at me like that, are you truly ok? Is your back hurt from that fall?"

A blush didn't make itself visible on the boy's cheek, his heart didn't even skip a beat either, it raced even faster than before with a chill crawled down his spine.

Kamijou shook his head at the question, the girl in front of him took that as the answer.

"Oh, you drop this."-the other onee-san spoke up as she crouched down and picked up a notebook next to him."Here."

With the same reaction, Kamijou took it and gave the two a light bow. Eventually, with nothing more to worry about, the two older girl made their way to the opposite direction of him. They didn't forget to wave back and gave the spiky haired boy a cheerful smile that filled with a Christmas-y spirit.

Kamijou weakly waved back, trying his best to make the corner of his mouth moved up a little to form a smile.

When the two onee-san had gone from his sight, the smile instantly disappeared and his arm fell down to his side.

Some random beautiful older girls had helped him.

Thinking about that, the terrified feeling that built up within him began to flare up.

Saying he was terrifying was not an exaggeration. Because as of now, that emotion was the only word that could describe best the look on the boy's face.

Kamijou's face was paled, almost as white as the thick layer of snow that covered the whole city.

Just one more push.

One more good thing or omen comes to him and surely, that feeling in his stomach will explore like an erupted volcano.

The spiky haired boy turned around, silently gulped and pat his chest lightly.

….calm down…..just calm down me. It's not like the universe is scheming something big to mess with my life later on.

That's right, be cool, be positive.

Kamijou gave himself another deep inhale and let it out as he moved his feet. The boy crossed the street in a slow pace.

The snow in some parts of the street got thicker, it had done a great job for decorating the city to suit with the theme of this special holiday.

Everywhere on the street was a fantastic sight.

Students, workers and even the researchers, everyone in this city has let themselves sink into this wonderful time of the year.

But then again, everyone except him.

He couldn't find the mood to sink into this atmosphere. Even though he had told himself that there was nothing to worry about all these good things that have and had happened to him, the boy still couldn't let his guard down.

Every time he thinks that misfortune has finally stopped messing with his life and let the fortune takes over, a big trouble always found its way to him sooner or later.

Especially when this right hand is still here.

…..as if Kamijou-san is going to let his guard down. Never, not today! Not even in a millisecond that I'll look away or accept this!

His experience with misfortune has made him well aware of its nature.

That was why, at this moment, he will always be in standby mode and prepare to face anything that his rotten luck might throw at him.

Kamijou walked and walked. At one point, he stopped and leaned against the wall, taking off his black scarf to brush off the snow on it. As he did, he stared at it for a while.

One thought resided in his mind.

…I wonder what did this scarf was made from, it really is light.

The boy didn't feel like he was touching it, yet it was there, lying firmly in his grasp.

The piece of fabric was thin, yet while he wore it, he felt so warm.

"…."

Feeling the cold was getting to him, the black spiky haired boy folded the scarf and wrapped it around his neck again. Done fixing it, he took his cell phone out to check the time.

It was nearly 7:00 p.m.

The boy let out a small sigh. Around this time, he was supposed to be in the kitchen to make dinner for the two freeloaders and that cat in his apartment.

They all would have having a warm dinner if he was there.

…...I guess Index and Othinus are probably really angry at me.

And not to mention…..

…and I still haven't bought anything as a Christmas gift for them, my wallet is so dried right now.

Kamijou opened the mail box in his phone to view the some new messages that were sent to him in the past few hours. However, before he could read the first message on the screen, his phone vibrated as a new email came.

…..Komoe-sensei?

[Kamijou-chan, where are you? Sensei can't call you at all, nun-chan is here in sensei apartment and she said something about you suddenly becoming pale and running away when she gave you her Christmas gift. Did something happened, Kamijou-chan?]

"…."

Kamijou pressed the reply button, and type a mail to send back to his homeroom teacher. But as he did so, another message came, interrupting him in the progress.

[Ah! Sensei've just got an idea, how about you come to sensei's apartment? We are having a Christmas celebration here, nun-chan has already sat in the kotatsu to eat the hot pot.]

….hot pot, huh…at least those three has something to eat now.

[The authorities of the city decided to not to apply the curfew today so everyone can enjoy this holiday to the fullest. Sensei has already prepared a ton of delicious food in the kitchen so why don't you come here to enjoy this time with us. There will also be an exchanging gift session after this.]

"….."

A small gap formed on Kamijou's mouth, slowly, it turned into a thin smile.

[And don't forget, if you are having any trouble right now, you can always come here to consult it with sensei. Sensei will try her best to give you advices, let the bad things go away to welcome the good things of the holiday and the next year.]

That smile on his face dropped instantly when he read the last line of the message. "Next year" didn't seem to relevant much with the rest of the content.

Oh wait, that was not the point.

….sensei, even if you tell me that. Right now, I'm scared of having those good things come to me.

He really wanted to type that into his reply, but that would be rude to his teacher.

Welcoming the good fortune is no different from welcoming bad luck. Out of the six billion people in the world, only Kamijou was the one that suit with the term.

The boy, whom life has always been filled with misfortune, looked up to the dark sky for a moment, thinking about something. The black color it carried was painted by many white dots. The snow kept falling down softly alongside with the gentle, cold breeze that flew pass the street.

Letting the air out of his lung, his breath, which was formed into a fainted smoke, entered his view. Kamijou's blue eyes darted back to the screen and the spiky haired boy started typing a reply.

….Sorry, sensei…..but right now…..I….

[I just want to spend this Christmas day alone]

With that, the boy turned off his phone.

….

…

…..

 **[A few minutes ago]**

Inside a two stories building in District 7….

"Uuuu~, just when I was expecting Touma would give his Christmas present to me, he suddenly burst out the room and ran away for no reason."

A certain nun in white habit pouted cutely as she picked some meat in the hot pot that placed in the middle of the kotatsu table and placed it into her bowl before chewing it.

Sphynx the cat was lying lazily next to her side with its head popped out from the table's heavy blanket, the calico cat seemed to have finished its dinner early and went to enjoy the warm from the heat source under the wooden table.

Othinus was also there, leaning on the smooth fur of the cat that was three time her size. Since she and Index was in one side of the kotatsu alone, she was hidden from everyone's views. Either way, it was also a good thing that the cat didn't have any intention to "play" with the former Magic God.

But still, the blonde haired fairy didn't feel a bit comfortable though. Just like Index, she was bothered by the act of the black spiky haired boy. Seeing him ran away and left behind their Christmas present to him, it was truly a surprised when he suddenly acted like that.

"What kind of Christmas gift did you gave him?"-across the table, a girl in a shrine maiden outfit asked in a soft voice.

"It's a-"

"Wait, wait! Nun-chan, don't say it! We don't want to ruin the mood of the exchanging gift time."-A loli teacher quickly interrupted the conversation in attempt to prevent spoiler."L-let's keep the secret to ourselves until then, alright?"

"…u-um."-Index nodded at the word and starting digging in the ingredient in the pot. Only a moment later, she stopped and put the chopstick down."Touma…I wonder why did he suddenly went off like that, he doesn't seem to be in trouble."

The nun's small voice seemed to reach others ear as they all stopped eating and diverted their gaze at her.

"So you don't know why he ran away?"-another girl with dark red haired put up a question as she stared at one of the red boxes wrapped in a matched color ribbon that placed near a small, decorated Christmas tree."Has he opened the gift you gave him yet?"

"No, Touma hasn't opened it. I don't know why, but when I gave it to him, he just kept looking between me and my gift frantically for some reason."

"…."-the dark red haired girl blinked at the nun's word. Then, she rolled her eyes, placing her right elbow on the table and rested her chin on the palm."I see, so it wasn't because of the gift then."

Musujime Awaki muttered quietly under her breath.

"What do you mean it wasn't because of the gift?"

Those words didn't go unnoticed, however. Himegami Aisa, the girl in the shrine maiden outfit, has heard it.

"Heh? Ah…..no, nothing of the sort."-the girl flinched as she didn't expect her friend to catch that. Knowing all eyes in the room has changed direction from Index to her, the dark red haired girl let out a cough to ease the awkwardness."A-anyway, what happened after that?"

"After that?"

Index halted her own voice and looked down at the former Magic God, who was leaning on one side of the calico cat. The three residents of the room had no idea what the young nun was doing so they waited.

Noticing the look Index gave her, Othinus fixed her witch-liked hat and looked back at the nun. The blonde haired fairy didn't say a word and she just shrugged.

Index then shifted her view to the bowl that was full of the delicious ingredient from the hot pot. She gazed at her own bowl and started telling shortly after as her memory of that moment appeared.

"After that, Touma suddenly put the gift down and went to the door, putting his shoes on….."

"…"

"And then….."

"….and…..then?"-Komoe repeated the word as she listened very closely.

"He turned around to look at the gift with his face somehow really paled at the time."-the young nun placed a finger on her lip."I think I saw Touma's mouth moved a little, hearing him whisper something like this is so confusing and then he just burst the door and ran off."

"Eh? Kamijou-chan ran off just like that?!"-Komoe was confused.

"Nothing serious happened?"-Musujime was confused.

"?"-Himegami didn't have any reaction to that. Instead, many question marks just danced on her head when she listened to the story, she was also confused.

As everyone in the room remained in silence to give some thought about the strange behavior of their spiky haired boy, the Christmas-y atmosphere began to fade away. Realizing this, Komoe-sensei clapped her hand to get the girls attention.

She was not going to let the cheerful mood of the celebration be disturbed.

"Now now, everyone, let's not think too much about this. Maybe Kamijou-chan is having some issues that he cannot resolve. Let sensei call and invite him to join us, that way we will know why he did this and we can help him to clear his mind. How about it?"

The young nun smiled and nodded at the great idea the loli teacher gave out.

Othinus had no comment….

No, even if she had one, she still can't let it out as that might bring trouble to her identity and the boy. The former Magic God just quietly nodded her head thoughtfully to herself.

The other two girls seemed to have arrived at the same agreement, too.

"Please do."-Himegami spoke up with her usual soft tone. It wasn't so often that she could have the chance to spend the time with the boy. Since now the golden opportunity has come, she had to get a full grab of it, especially when today was Christmas day.

"I don't mind if we have one more person to join in the fun."-Musujime glanced back at those red boxes near the Christmas tree again. This time, a grin flashed on her face as one particular gift reflexed in her eyes. "Besides, it would be easier to give him the present this way."

"Hm? You have Christmas present for Touma, too?"-the nun asked with a little surprised lingered in her emerald eyes.

"We all have one for him."

Musujime answered and that caused the nun to lean forward with her curiousness rising.

"What are you going to give to him?"

"That's a secret, remember?"

Himegami nodded in agreement at the girl words. Like Komoe-sensei had said, it would be best to save it for the last moment.

As everyone all followed with the idea, Komoe stood up from the kotatsu and went to reach her phone on a futon placed in the corner of the room.

"Well then, while sensei call him, in the meantime, you three just keep enjoying the meat, there is plenty of food in the kitchen so help yourself out."-the teacher flipped up her phone and the screen turned bright."….etou…..Kamijou-chan's number is….."

Komoe mumbled the number of the boy while her fingers continuously pressing those buttons to find him in the phone address book.

Meanwhile, back in the kotatsu table, the flow of the conversation seemed to have headed in a different direction. It was no longer about the fun of this small celebration party, it was about a certain spiky haired boy.

Although…there was an obstacle that kept the conversation from progressing.

"Say, you really don't need to stuff that much of the food into your mouth, eat it slowly or you'll be choking."

Musujime sweat dropped at the way the nun in white habit knocked all the ingredient from the bowl into her mouth in one beat.

"~ut ish is elicish~."

"We can't understand what you said."-Himegami said, still monotone as usual.

The nun swallowed, speaking out loud in high spirited.

"All of this is really delicious, I've been restraining myself from eating too much for an entire day! This morning and lunch, I only ate a little bit of the food for this meat!"

"How little?"

"Heh?...um…."-putting down her bowl, Index looked up the ceiling, searching in her memory of the amount of food she has consumed in the last 10 hours."Three cups of rice, two bowls of ramen and some extra takoyaki Touma received from our neighbor next door."

"That's your standard of little?!"

"Why did you had to do that?"-asked the girl in the miko outfit.

"There is this article in a book I read some time ago. It wrote that if a person feels hungry, their appetite will increase and the food will become a lot more delicious when they eat."

The two girls nodded, somewhat getting the idea of the nun.

"I tried to do so and it did worked. Everything is so delicious!"

Index wasn't aware, those words of her has brought a blank look to the former Magic God. From under the heavy blanket of the kotatsu, Othinus raised an eyebrow at the young nun.

There wasn't anything wrong with what the nun said but the girl just didn't know, she had no idea that when it comes too food, her bottomless stomach is always active.

Everything is delicious to her, even when she feels hungry or not.

Othinus and the boy knew that fact quite well.

So…

What the nun had done is no different than normal.

Even so, true to her words, she did had self-constraint from digesting more food than usual, which was rarely happened.

"Lately, Touma has been complaining non-stop about how his fund keeps decreasing and he told me that I shouldn't eat too much to….keep my weight balanced."-for some reason, the young nun muttered at the last part while pouting. "So I decided to help him by eating less than usual."

Othinus rolled her eyes next to this statement.

In reality, the young nun has just only started that in today.

Then again, Index's needed for consuming food was still high compared to a normal person. Therefore, it doesn't make any different whether if she eats less or not, Kamijou's fund will still decrease in a very regular way.

Such a pity for the boy.

"Since today is a really special time of the year, I've made a present for Touma to cheer him up for all the time he took care of me."

Hearing this, something sparked up in the former Magic God's head.

That was not a normal Christmas gift, the nun in white habit was trying to move a step forward so it seemed.

Othinus didn't realize that until now and she didn't know why. Somehow, to her, this rang up a dangerous warning in her mind. Is this feeling what they call the sense of being left behind?

"Oh?"-Musujime's eyes slightly widened, amused."So your gift is a handmade then?"

Index proudly puffed her chest out with a broad smile formed on her lip. The dark red haired girl took that as a yes.

"It took a lot of time to finish it."-the silver haired nun continued as she clasped both hand before her chest and closed her eyes, that broad smile now becomes so calm."So I prayed to Saint Nicholas, hoping that Touma will accept my gift and he will also give me his."

"Didn't you just tell us that he left your present with you and ran away?"

Index flinched and cracked like a rock fell onto her.

"Ah! T-that was unexpected, I didn't know Touma would do something like that!"

"Maybe you should ask him that first when he comes here."-Himegami raised a hand as she voiced out her opinion.

"Umu~."

The nun nodded then switching her focus back to the hot pot, she picked up her bowl and started eating again. At the same time, the loli teacher returned to her placed in the kotatsu with the phone in hand.

She looked concerned.

"This is strange, Kamijou-chan doesn't pick up the call, sensei has sent to him some emails and he had yet to reply to them, too."-Komoe reached to her beer and poured it into a glass."I hope he didn't get involved into any trouble."

As she said that, her phone shook.

Komoe took it and looked at the screen, it was a message from the spiky haired boy.

"Oh, Kamijou replies to my email."-the teacher press a button to view it.

Index, Musujime and Himegami all turned their eyes toward the loli teacher and waited for a response. Othinus had also quietly made her way to the next corner of the table to listen as Sphynx has fall asleep. She was still hiding herself from view, of course.

Komoe stared at the text in the phone's screen. She blinked at first, slowly, her eyes widened, big gap was formed on her lip.

"Ehhhh?!"

The teacher gasp loudly in bewilderment which startled the girls, the iris in her eyes was shaking.

"S-sensei, is something wrong?"-Musujime was the first to ask.

"Kamijou-chan…."-Komoe's lip moved, her voice was filled with worry.

The three leaned toward her, feeling somewhat nervous by the sudden change in her tone and her reaction from reading the boy's message.

Komoe turned the phone to show them the text on the screen.

"Kamijou-chan said he wants to spend this Christmas day alone!"

"WHAT?!"

….

….

…

"…."

A faint smoke breathe out from his throat. The boy fixed the tip of the black scarf wrapped around his neck and pulled up to his mouth, covering it.

Flipping from page to page, Kamijou stared down at the notebook placed on his lap. A pencil was held in his right hand, the tip of the tool touched the flat surface of the page.

So far, the tool hasn't moved, his hand hasn't moved, there was no word in the page where he was at.

It was empty.

The black spiky haired boy started to write some words in but he stopped midway. In the next few minutes, this action repeated and repeated.

Currently, Kamijou was sitting on one of the benches in a familiar park of District 7. To his left, the infamous vending machine that used to swallow his 2000 yen whole can be seen.

There was no one here besides him.

Compared to the lively atmosphere out there, the place was quiet. He can still hear the noise of people chatting and some traditional Christmas music in one of the store echoed in the air. But the sound was enough not to disturb anyone in this park.

Kamijou rubbed the side of his head with the pencil's rubber like a student found trouble in solving a difficult assignment as he went deep into thought and recalled of today events.

Having no more idea comes to mind, the spiky haired boy closed the notebook and put it back into his pocket.

Then, he looked around. The area was devoid of people, only a few individuals walked through here. Even in this special holiday, the park wasn't that much different from those normal days.

Putting both hands into his coat's pocket, the boy stood up from his seat and moved toward the vending machine. He took out his wallet beforehand as he went near it.

Kamijou's blue eyes darted to each of the drinks showed behind the glass to search for his choice. The boy picked out some coins in his wallet and inserted it into the small gap.

Unexpectedly, his hand suddenly stopped when half of the coin has gone in. Something was on his mind, he has just realized something.

…wait, now that I think about it. What if this thing swallows Kamijou-san's money like last time? Does that means misfortune will come back to kick me in the guts and whatever that makes all the good things happened to me until now will disappear? Will it put an end to this chilling feeling in my stomach?

Kamijou was contemplating against the "fortune" of his life.

One way to find out.

Without hesitation, Kamijou inserted some coins into the gap and selected his choice of drink. He folded his arms and waited for the drink to fall down in the open compartment near the machine's foot.

"Hm?"

Nothing came out.

The spiky haired boy pressed the button again and the result was still the same. Trying another attempt, the boy pushed the button multiple times and still nothing.

He pulled the small crank near the insert gap to get back his money and it was no use, either.

So…

…..it stole my money….

Somehow, the boy found himself relieved at this circumstance. That would be meant that the universe didn't scheme anything big against him and make his life a mess with all the good fortune that happened to him from this morning.

….I know I should feel regret about this. But oh well, at least Kamijou-san won't have to-

A small "clang" hit his ears.

The boy's thought was cut short and his body froze as he heard a noise coming from the vending machine. Slowly, Kamijou glanced down at the opened gap where the drink often fall out and his jaw dropped.

One can of soft drink was in there, the one he selected.

…it actually came ouuuuuttttttt?!

Shocked, mouth agape and cold sweat started streaming down his head, Kamijou took the drink from the gap and stared at the machine intensely.

This is unreal, he thought.

….why didn't it drop the drink when I press it the first time? It's broken, right? This cannot be luck, can it? This is just a coincidence, isn't it?!

That feeling in his stomach rose up again.

Kamijou's eyes to the drink in his hand, the boy noticed his fingers were slightly shaking. Putting the drink down, the boy slapped his own cheek with both hands and shook his head to discard the "negative" thought.

….no, no, no! Coincidence! That's right, this is just a coincidence, there's nothing to worry about, it's not like good things will happen forever to this Kamijou-san. Misfortune will find its way to me sooner or later. Yup, don't let your guard down me. You don't know if the universe is planning to throw one hell of a bad luck event onto my head at the end of the day or not. Don't be sway by this trivial matter.

Don't be sway…..

Despite saying that to himself, that terrified feeling kept boiling inside Kamijou.

So…

One thought instantly came to him.

The (un)fortunate boy made a sudden ninety degree turn and sprint with all his might toward a nearby tree that has snow covered most of it top.

With the fast momentum, he jumped head on and kicked the tree real hard in the trunk. The shock from that attack caused all the snow around its top to fall off.

Gritting his teeth, Kamijou's head shot up to see the heavy pile of snow that was falling upon him. He stood straight, shut his eyes off and waited for the impact.

A loud pattering sounds were heard.

The area around the tree was painted in white as the heavy pile of snowflake hit the ground.

"…"

Except for one spot, it was where Kamijou was standing.

Kamijou's eyebrow twitched, his face now carried the same color like these snow as if blood was being drained from him.

Only a small pile of snow fell onto his hair, a really small one.

He could have got bury under that heavy layer of cold dust and yet he didn't, the snow was scattering around him.

Just what did that mean then?

Kamijou looked down at his own feet, letting the bangs cover his paled face. He turned around, walking back to where the drink was with his shoulder drooped down. He picked up the drink and opened it. The boy didn't notice, his hand was so shaking that some drops fell out.

…c-c-c-calm down…this is just a coincidence….JUST A COINCIDENCE! Don't let this get to you…..don't let this get to you…..

The boy inhaled deeply and drank the whole thing in one beat, in hope that this would temporarily calm himself down.

Throwing the empty drink into a garbage basket, Kamijou made his way back to the lively street.

In that exact moment, before he could even place one step on the road stair, a shadow overlapped him. Due to the street was decorated with many lights, the shadow it reflected from behind covered him whole.

Kamijou blinked at the figure standing on top the road stair, he recognized that person.

The short chestnut haired that stuttering in a passing breeze.

The flower shape hairclip that emphasized the cuteness of its owner.

The familiar Tokiwadai winter uniform inside a brown coat that hugged the small, athletic body of a girl.

Misaka Mikoto, the third ranked level 5, was up there on the top stair, looking down at him while panting heavily as if her stamina has run out. For some reason, there was fire burning in her eyes.

"Biribiri?"

"….you…..so this is where you are…."-Misaka spoke in between her breath."Why can't I call your number at all, you idiot?! Just what have you been doing this entire time?!"

Electric spark started flying out from her bangs.

Kamijou instinctively took a step back as he saw that and before he could manage to respond to her question, another figure came into his view.

From behind Misaka, behind the shining light of the street, another girl in Tokiwadai winter uniform appeared. That girl clumsily grabbed hold of the metal railing and leaned on to support her exhausted body with one hand placing on her chest. Her chocolate haired waved gently in the air and from just a glance, it brought up a fluffy feeling like her hair was made of from cotton candy.

Like Misaka, she was also panting heavily as if the two has just come back from a really fierce race. The chocolate haired girl then shifted her vision to the spiky haired boy and in that moment of eye contact, the spiky haired boy could swore that he saw a mixture of fire burning with determination in that eyes of her.

"Mitsuari?"

Hearing the boy called out to a different name, Misaka widened her eyes and turned her head to the side, which Mitsuari also did the same, and the two girl stared at each other. The exhaustion must have made them unaware of the other person.

Kamijou thought maybe it was just his imagination, but somehow, he could see lighting sparks between those stare of them.

Were they in some kind of a rivalry competition or something?

No, more importantly.

Why did the air look so tense around those two?

Is this it?!

Has misfortune finally took form and came to get him?!

"Stand aside, I found this idiot first."

"No, even if you are a level 5, you don't have the right to order me."

The stare grew more intense. Kamijou took another step back and this time, he slowly turned around to get away from the invisible aura those two were emitting.

It was so intense that he felt like the snow under their feet were almost melting.

However, as he turned back he saw two girls, who were also wearing the same Tokiwadai winter uniform, ran toward him from two different directions. None of them seemed to be in a good shape as they all had this exhausted look on their face.

Seriously, does Tokiwadai's oujo-samas are having a competition right now, the boy wondered.

One girl stopped and bent down as she reached him, placing her hands on the knee to support her upper body's weight. Her purple, ringlet curly haired spread around her thin waist as she leaned down to take a short break. In one of her hand was a pink gekota shape cell phone, it was flipped up and the screen still displayed the calling icon. The girl was holding the call and had no intention of hanging it up.

"Ka…"-the girl tried to spoke but the exhaustion stopped her.

Kamijou looked at her in confusion, not knowing what these ojou-sama were doing. The purple haired girl then straightened her gesture and took a deep breath before saying.

"Pardon me, Kamijou-sama. The Queen is looking for you."

"Heh? Shokuhou?"

"Yes, the Queen was trying to contact you but you didn't answer to her call, so we were asked to find you."-the other ojou-sama chimed in as she made it to his place."Now, if you please come with us."

She went behind him and gently pushed his back to force him move.

"W-wait. I can't-"

"H-hey! Leave him be, I got to him first! There is something I need to tell to that idiot!"

Saying that out loud in panic, Misaka quickly taking her steps down the road stair and toward the boy. From the tone of her voice, it sounded urgent.

However, Mitsuari rushed past her and stood in between the boy and the two members of Shokuhou's clique which surprised the girls.

"You are not going to take Kamijou-kun anywhere. If the Queen wants to talk to him, then tell her to do so by her own abilities."

"My apology Misaka-sama, Mitsuari-sama."-the purple haired girl calmly spoke."But we won't go against the Queen's request, she has been wanting to see this gentleman ever since the holiday started. There are many things she wants to discuss with him."

"Then so do I, I also have many things I want to say to him and it's important to me."

…..hang on, what is going on?

Kamijou widened his eyes in bewilderment as he listened to their argument. As he watched, Mitsuari suddenly turned around to face him which startled the boy. For some reason, her cheek slowly turned red. Her small lip opened but no voice came through as she tried to say something yet could not.

The chocolate haired girl then shook her head and grabbed his right arm.

"Kamijou-kun, come with me, I need to tell you something."

Before Kamijou could have time to react, two pair of hands grabbed hold of his left arm and pulled.

It was the two members of Shokuhou's clique.

"Kamijou-sama, please make haste. The Queen is waiting."

….what is with this development?!

Kamijou's mind was occupied with many question marks, he felt like the feeling in his stomach is on edge. It was about to erupt.

This strange development wasn't over yet, though.

Unexpectedly, lighting strike shoot out from a certain chestnut haired girl, it hit the ground near her feet.

"All of you…"-Misaka took a step toward them, her dark grumbling caused the clique to release the boy. Mitsuari, however, stood her ground and didn't let go."Let him go! That idiot is going to have a talk with me first."

"No way, I told you. You don't have the right to order me."-her grip on the boy's arm tightened.

"Um, c-could someone please explain to this Kamijou-san what is happening? I don't think I can keep up with this situation."

"You!"-Misaka pointed a finger at him as she approached."Just where have you been gone to this entire time, huh?! Your phone was turned off and you weren't there in your apartment, do you have any idea how troublesome and how worry I was when I can't get in touch with you?!"

"Why do you need to find me?"

The dense spiky haired boy asked something that was oh so obvious. Misaka slightly stumbled on her feet at this question.

"…y-you….today is Christmas! What else do you think why I want to find you?!"-she said that to him, a tingle of pink also started visible on her cheek and it slowly spread.

The boy suddenly went quiet at the mentioning of the holiday's name.

What else?

Why does she wants to find him?

Today was Christmas, of course. But what else does she, Mitsuari and Shokuhou want to find him?

…is this….

The boy gulped.

….just like…Index…?

Kamijou's blue eyes shifted forward, the image of Misaka Mikoto reflected clearly on his iris. Next, it came to Mitsuari and the two girls of Shokuhou's clique.

Finally, it reverted back to his feet….

The others went silent, patiently waited for his respond. It was then that they all noticed the expression on the boy.

"Hey, w-what's wrong with you? Why are you look so pale?"-Misaka asked, worry filled her tone.

True to her words, cold sweat was dripping down his forehead like river. His skin was painted white, bloodless…..again.

"Kamijou-kun?"-Mitsuari called the boy but he didn't answer, as she grabbed his arm, there was something else that she noticed from the boy, too.

For whatever reason, he was trembling.

"…ne, Misaka…."

"?"

"You said you want to find me because it's Christmas, right?"

"..uh…um…y-yeah, so what about it?"-Misaka stammered a bit while looked away, maybe that boy has finally broke out from that usually thick skull of his.

"Were you…..were you guys planning to give me a Christmas gift?"

Kamijou spoke, still looking down.

Has the denseness finally broke?

Or…..

"..ugh…ah..it's…..it's not like….."-now the chestnut haired girl blushed. After noticing the clique of her rival and the chocolate haired girl were watching her, she regained her composure."Well, since it's Christmas so….so…."

The girl stammered again as she tried to let out those words that could raise her embarrassing meter to maximum. In the end, she still couldn't finish her sentence.

Kamijou, eventually, lifted his head up a little and let out a very long sigh.

"I hear that, you! Don't sigh at me like that just because I couldn't say it!"

She was wrong, that was not what the boy was sighing at.

"This is so confusing."

Four "Eh?" were heard.

"Mitsuari, can you let go of my arm?"-a deep voice escaped the boy.

Although hesitating, Mitsuari reluctantly let go just like he asked and it motionlessly fell to his side. The four girls stared at the boy in wondering as he looked up to the sky.

In his eyes, there was a sharp glint as they saw.

"….is wrong…"

"?"

"What is wrong with this scenario that looks like it comes out from those games of Aogami!? **There is no way my misfortune would treat me like thiiiiissssssssss!** "-like a boiling lava blew out from an enraged volcano, he yelled on the top of his lung.

Everyone was startled by his sudden outburst. Before the girls realized what the boy had just done, he has already more than 10 meters away from them.

"Ah! Kamijou-kun!"

"Hey! Where are you going?!"

"Kamijou-sama?!"

That's right! Run, Kamijou Touma!

Run away with that unsteady mind of yours which will grow more confusing and unstable by all these (un)fortunate events of your life.

Run away with that terrifying feeling in your stomach that will only become fiercer as the universe mess with your mentality.

This (un)fortunate day has yet to come to an end.

And so…..

With a speed that faster than the wind, the black spiky haired boy has completely disappeared from everyone's sight.

….

…..

….

Meanwhile, inside the Tokiwadai Internal Dormitory of School Garden…

"hm~, hm~."

A certain young lady with blonde hair was humming happily as she placed the spoon into a delicious pancake and slit a small piece. Elegantly, she slid the spoon underneath the small cake and put it in to her mouth, tasting the sweet flavor of the high quality dessert.

After done eating, she stood up from her seat and stretched both arms, which were covered in a pair of white gloves that adorned with spider web pattern, above her head to release the sore stress from her shoulder.

….now then~….

Shokuhou Misaki moved to her bed and her starry eyes looked down at the stuff she placed on the sheet. On that large bed, there was a red box with it cap was wrapped around by a golden ribbon mixed with some red color patterns.

Next to that box….was a costume.

The design was pretty much made to hug close to the wearer's body, revealing more skin. A pink skirt was slit and separated on two side so the front and the back was widely opened. Behind the back of that costume, attached two white wings and a short, round tail.

In addition to the "revealing" costume design, a bunny ear was also added in to make the wearer more appealing.

The famous Bunny Maid costume.

A mysterious smile entered Shokuhou's expression as she grabbed the costume and stood in front of a full-length mirror. Taking a good look at the costume, the young lady pressed it against her well-endowed body then looked the reflected image of herself in the mirror.

"...hm~…"

As the image of her wearing the costume flashed through her starry eyes. A tinge of pink slowly formed on her cheek and it didn't stop. Slowly, it spread across her face.

…oh~, Shokuhou Misaki, you've become bolder today~.

The girl shifted her view down at the costume, one hand brought to her soft lip, touching it.

…I wonder if he like this costume I bought online….

Mental Out's movement stopped as the thought in her mind began to take a different route, a very wild thought that luckily was still in the "safe zone".

...

Inside the dark room of a certain apartment, with the window curtain fully opened to reveal a calm night with beautiful snow falling down from the heaven, the room was lightened up with a faint light from the full moon above. On the bed next the window, two person were timidly exchanging gaze at each other.

At one point, they looked straight into the eyes but the spiky haired one broke the eyes contact first and scratched his red cheek sheepishly with a finger, as if he was trying not to defile the beauty in front of him with the animal instinct that was on the verge of revealing itself through his stare.

The beautiful young lady smiled at him, her cheek was also painted with a faint red color as she aware he was attracted not only to her but also the Bunny Maid costume she was wearing. Of course, the embarrassment was slowly rising up within her but she tried her best to hold it down and not to show it to him.

Without a word, Shokuhou moved closer to the boy. She raised her arm which covered in white gloves and tenderly touched his reddened face, turning his eyes toward her.

"My Prince, please don't look away, I'm wearing this for you."-the Bunny Maid blonde haired girl spoke, her voice was small, almost like a whisper."Do you dislike it?"

"…no…."-the boy answered, his voice was also having the same amount of volume."…it's just…..you look so cute, Shokuhou. I feel like my heart is racing madly when I look at you…..this is…..quite embarrassing for me to say but…..."

"…but….?"

The boy didn't continue his word, instead, he leaned forward and touched Shokuhou's cheek with his right hand. The girl could felt her face starting to burn hot as Kamijou caressed her bare white skin.

"All this time, I've never realized there is this beautiful angel right beside me and now she is so close to my grasp, she saved me from the brink of death once and yet I forgot everything about her."-the boy put on a warm smile."I really am a hopeless idiot, am I?"

"…..Touma…..."

The two stared deeply, passionately into each other eyes.

Silence filled the air as no more word was spoke. Then, slowly, Kamijou leaned forward further with his upper body lifted up, his hand which was caressing Shokuhou's cheek went behind her head to help her lie down gently on her back. The girl's long blonde haired spread on the bed sheet as she did so with the bunny ear on her head lightly waved at the movement.

Shokuhou's heart raced, her starry eyes glittering dreamily as Kamijou's manly gaze reflected her blissful expression. It felt like those gaze of the boy was piercing deep into her very soul.

"…..Shokuhou…."

"….yes, Touma?"

"I think I've just realized another thing about you, can I say it?"

"….um…."

" _Suki dayo_ , Misaki."(I love you)

Shokuhou Misaki widened her eyes, little by little, tears appeared in the corner of her starry eyes now also shining beautifully. Happiness overflowed in the girl's heart.

"….me too….Touma… _daisuki…_ "(I really love you)

Consciously, the Bunny Maid blonde haired girl wrapped her arm around the spiky haired boy neck.

"…..Misaki…"

"….Touma…..please be gentle…."

Knowing what that meant, the boy lowered his face. Now, his face was so close to Misaki that he could feel her breath and the sweet honey aroma flowing around her.

Misaki closed her eyes and lifted her head up a little.

Kamijou's face moved in closer, closer and closer…

Eventually….

Their lip tou-

 **Knock Knock Knock!**

Shokuhou jumped at the sudden knocking sound and her mind snapped back to reality, the girl looked around her room in dazed.

Not knowing how she was still here, the girl shifted her vision back to the mirror in front of her. It was until this that she noticed her face was pure red and her skin was burning hot.

Realizing everything happened back then was just her wild fantasy, the maiden in love shook her head frantically in embarrassment. The Bunny Maid costume was left to fall down on the floor as Shokuhou held her cheek with both hands, her heart was still beating very strong.

The knocking sound occurred again, it came from outside the door that lead to her room.

The blonde haired girl hurriedly put away the costume, almost stumbled to the floor while she did so as she hasn't calm down yet from that bold thought of her.

After covering the Bunny Maid costume with the bed sheet, Shokuhou flicked a few strands of her hair over her shoulder and gained back the composure of the Queen of Tokiwadai.

"You can come in."-her voice now held a strong force behind it.

The door opened and a member of her clique walked in, halting her steps as she went through the door. There was this troubled look on her face.

"What's the matter? Have you found him?"

"..um…yes...my Queen, we have found that gentleman just as you have requested."-the girl filled the detail to her words."We found him in the park of School District 7…..but…um..."

Misaki blinked at her, wondering why did she stopped her own words midway.

Could it be that something has happened to him, the girl worried.

"Did something happen to him?"-more force was put into her words.

"…eh?...ah…no….that gentleman is doing fine, my Queen. It's just that when we found him, Misaka-sama and Mitsuari-sama were there and they also had the same intention as you."

"I am well aware of this possibility, when it comes to him, Misaka-san and Ms. Ant will do everything in their power abilities to put one step closer to him if one of us decides to make a move, our rivalry has always been like that. What else happened after that?"-Misaki was about to reach her hand at one of the remotes in her bag and read the girl's memories to get a full view of the story.

"We….we did persuaded the gentleman to come with us and they also did the same. But….before we could successfully do so…he…."-the girl placed a finger to her lip, thinking of how to explain the circumstance right to her Queen.

"?"

"Kamijou-sama suddenly screamed and he ran away, saying something like wanting to be alone in today Christmas."

…..Eh?

* * *

 **Author's note: And that's the end of the first part of his (un)fortunate day.**

 **So what do you think about it?**

 **Review the chapter if you please, I would love to hear your opinion (Cough)last part(Cough). Anyway, I'll see you later in the next note of either Diary or The Lost Light.**

 **P.S: Ahh~, finally get to sleep.**


	2. A-Strange-Fate (1)

**Hi everyone, I came back with another update for Index story! How long has it been since my last update on this site again?**

 **This time I got back with a stand-alone chapter for Diary. Story wise, this new entry of Diary is actually a one-shot, a crossover between Index and Fate/Grand Order, mainly focusing on the interaction between the two characters, Touma and the main protagonist of FGO. Considering the length, I planned to divide this crossed-over into two parts, what you are about to read is the first part of the story, which focusing on Kamijou's perspective.**

 **If you are expecting a continuation of the previous chapter then in due time it will happen, the chapters just won't follow in orders.**

 **Without further ado, please enjoy~.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own To Aru Majutsu no Index series and I do not own any characters relate to the FATE series owned by Type-Moon.**

* * *

 **Memories_of_HIM**

 ** _Lost Entry #2_**

 **A_Strange_Fate (I)**

"Um…how should I say this?"

Deep in the snowy mountain of the Earth's southernmost continent, **Antarctica** , at the height of 6000 meters above sea level, the clock was ticking. As it hang on the wall, its wonder ability to catch up with the forgotten time when the world was engulfed in the hot burning flame of destruction has never failed to pin point the accurate time of this place, where the endless cycle of day and night was split half by nature long before the dawn of civilization.

Bright as a dazzling sunlight yet as plain as it could be, the small room composed of only one decorate pot, one bed and a round table next to it became a place where this secret conversation took place.

Even though this room was located at the only place in the world where the sky is never dark during the second season of the year, a human circadian rhythms can often undergone tremendous change as the eternal white landscape always cloaked on itself the dark, chilling coldness of winter. The mental clock of a person could hardly operate smoothly throughout 24 hours of a single day.

The theory above applied well on the two ordinary persons who was trying to push their awkward conversation a step forward.

The clock ticking again, it showed 2 a.m in the morning. Time has already gone past midnight.

Yet the sight of a pudding cup spilled on the floor and two warm cups of tea in each of their hands had been a good reason for them to fully stay awake.

"You don't look like one of those familiar faces I've met here in **Chaldea**."

There wasn't any reply to those words.

For that, their minds were filled with doubt.

However, none would want to walk on that direction for each of them were good natured at heart. Yet, there were too many questions to ask, someone will have to push the word out of their mouth. As neither of them wanted to make the choice, the suspense of clarity squeezed the atmosphere.

"H-hey, you don't look so good." The girl with a red mark on the back of her hand stared down at the shaking cup the other boy was holding."Are you feeling unwell?"

They say that nervous can sometime be a great adrenaline syringe to stimulate all five senses. Truly, the other boy was feeling that way.

He shook his head, so much which his gravity defied black haired waved non-stop as his entire body trembled in anxiety. All the shaking and nervous kept him fully awake instead of the warm cup, but that was all there to it.

That tea cup was giving to him and all this time sitting in front of the girl with that strange symbol on the back of her hand, that spiky haired boy didn't have the slightest intention to drink the cup. Simply put, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

If he drank it then…

That would be too casual, right?

That would be really carefree, right?

That would be the wrong reaction to the embarrassing circumstance he made for himself, right?

After what he has done, maybe back in Academy City he might have been reported and thrown into juvenile jail for a few days…well, given the situation, that might have been an exaggerating way of saying it!

He hasn't done anything wrong, misfortune was just trolling him like usual!

"S-such misfortune….."

"Um, is the tea not to your liking?"

"W-what?! No No! Definitely not! It s-s-s-smells great!" Kamijou Touma stammered hard."This poor, innocent Kamijou-san was just confusing about the whole thing! He didn't expect to be treated so kindly after breaking into somebody's room…...ah!"

He said it! He clearly announced his crime!

Slamming down the tea cup, Kamijou went into dogeza pose in full panic mode. The spiky haired boy clumsily kneeled before the auburn haired girl and bowed his head all the way to the floor.

"I'm sorry! It's the first time I did this and I have no idea why this is happening! Kamijou-san is just too hungry he can't put himself to sleep, not even by force! That's why in a little moment of desperation, I tried to reach for the puddings in the refrigerator!"

"C-calm down." The girl tried to ease the panicked Kamijou.

He wasn't listening though.

"It was purely an intention to satisfy this hunger in my stomach, nothing else! I swear to you, I didn't mean to intrude into other people's room in the middle of the night, I just wanted to open the damn cap then taste that sweet flavor of that steamy dish but my misfortune always has no intention to spare me! Really! I was screwed up by my own fate!" Kamijou thrust forward his right hand, showing the injury he inflicted upon himself, accidentally. What he showed to her was just a small cut on his thumb."I took the knife, I tried to cut open it but I cut my finger instead! By the time I realized it, I have already stood here in your room!"

Who would open a pudding cup with a knife?

"Please don't report this to Anti-Skill or the authority, I have enough bad luck to roast my daily life!"

"Relax, I haven't said anything!"

"Yes! But your generosity and that kind, caring smile on your face are scaring me! This is not some kind of punishment, isn't it?! This is not some kind of method you're using to pull out the guilt inside me and trample on it with kindness so I can feel horrible about myself, isn't it?!"

Probably, he won't listen to anybody unless the holy term "I forgive you" spoke from someone else's mouth.

Kamijou Touma has become a bit paranoid because of his guilt, which he caused…by accident.

"I've seen this before! I was buried alive six feet under when I refused…ah, wait…..wrong story. Anyway, why are you doing this to me?! After what I have done accidentally, offering me tea is one of many ways to torment this Kamijou-san's pure soul, you know! I'm scared! Your kindness is so frightening!"

"I told you, please calm down! What kind of story are you trying to explain to me? I don't understand a single thing you said! By the way, I'm the one who should be freaked out, you know. You are overreacting!"

"…you're right." Finally appeasing after letting go all the steam in his head, Kamijou composed himself and quietly sat down." I'm sorry for trespassing on your room…by accident."

Why was he kept repeating and stressing the word accident?

"R-right, about that." The girl rubbed the back of her head, still feeling awkward."I didn't expect this to happen either, it never happened before, this kind of thing. How did you even get through the door? It's still locked."

Kamijou turned his head down, sweating bullet.

"But listen, you don't look like a bad person so how about we just forget the whole intruding stuff?" The girl with the red symbol on the back of her hand reassured and gave him a warm smile. That mark seemed to shine up for a split second."Besides, it would be rather difficult to find an explanation to a stranger entered my room with a pudding in his hand. I doubt there's a convincing reason to think of this as a crime."

The two rolled their eyes to the spilling pile of pudding near the automatic door. Indeed, it was a freaking pudding there. Just how much weirder can this situation get?

"Well, unless you really do intend to poison me through it in some ways, I don't know what your intention was when you brought it here and I don't know if there is something toxic mixed in but I'll give you a heads-up." The auburn haired girl pointed to herself, revealing one of her many capabilities in a calm tone."I'm immune to all kinds of poison."

"Ah no, I was just planning to eat that pudding in my bathtub."

Sometime, the truth could be so far-fetched, nothing from both sides was making sense.

Though, Kamijou was slightly astounded when that girl said she was resistant to poisons.

That is a rare ability for an esper, was what the spiky haired boy thought.

"S-sorry, to be honest, I got surprised and dropped it when I realized this place was no longer my comfortable bathroom." Kamijou quickly spoke." I'll clean that up right away."

"No, there is no need, just leave it for later. Instead of worrying about it, why don't you explain to me how you got to this place in the first place?"

"Would you believe me if I said I walked here from my kitchen?"

"Give me a full story, then we'll see how it goes."

The girl smiled, hands clasped together as she leaned forward, ready to listen to whatever the person sitting in front of her was about to say.

Kamijou took a small sip from the tea cup, the warm feeling spreading around his mouth really helped him to concentrate on retelling a piece of his memory.

"At first, I was confused….." He began.

...

Words were exchanged.

The way things became like this was no part of any expectation.

They did not see this coming.

At the beginning, there was uncertainty.

At the beginning, there was confusion.

At the beginning, there was wavering emotions.

From there, a strange fate occurred, breaking the boundaries of the two worlds.

They were not aware of the fact that this small encounter would be the red string of fate that bound their worlds together, short and momentarily.

Perhaps you were still wondering what kind of story written in this entry that he has uncovered and recorded it all. Let's flip back the pages, rewind this memory of his to fill in the blank, finding the details for the lack of info.

(Flip the pages)

* * *

" _Huh?"_

 _Kamijou was utterly confused._

 _When the moon light shined outside the small ventilation window in the bathroom, his eyes opened wide._

 _It was not on a night when he happened to experience another hellish torture in his nightmare._

 _It was not on a night when he was scared to death as a certain cabal boss cuddled his side in her sleep._

 _It was not on a night when he once had this dream about a certain kinky rainbow snake goddess snuggled into his bathtub and gave him a heart attack._

 _It was not on a night when he also had this one dream about him being washed up to a shore at some tropical island while an octopus sticking on his head._

 _Strange, even Kamijou had to ask himself where those dreams came from._

 _It was just another sleepless night he spent to write another entry in the diary and he should had been able to do it in peace. But since he didn't, Kamijou had to raise his eyebrows in wonder._

… _eh? This is…._

 _Somehow, he felt incredibly starving._

" _The heck?"_

 _Kamijou didn't see this coming, such a strange moment of life he had at that time. He had already finished dinner with the other two freeloaders a few hours ago._

… _.w-what's going on? What's with this discomfort feeling?!_

 _They called it starvation._

… _.eh? I don't remember eating less than I normally do, two bowls of rice for the whole week is supposed to be enough to keep a person alive!_

 _Yet that was not enough to keep the angry stomach in check._

….but 80% of food on the table is for Index!

Such extreme dominance!

….eh? Isn't that why?! Isn't that the only reason I have to suffer like this?! Dang, I was too focusing on the note!

 _Kamijou didn't aware the diligent efforts of reflecting himself by making a new entry for his diary every single day had taken his kindness, or idiocy in this case, to another level._

… _crap, so this is how Index and Othinus felt when I left them alone to eat for themselves at home. Should have paid more attention._

 _The whole point here was that he was unconsciously doing the exact same thing to himself without his knowledge._

 _Wait, it seemed wrong, that was not the point either._

 _As a matter of fact, his stomach was up for a rebellion._

" _Hungry….so hungry…"_

 _Having no choice but to put an end to this awakened desire to eat, Kamijou put the diary into his pocket, crawling out of the bathtub and went to the kitchen. The act of excessive compliance had begun to backfire him, if only this lousy noise in his belly hadn't turned up all of a sudden._

 _Index, Othinus and Sphinx were sleeping soundly. Whatever how much annoying this might look, he would need to keep it quiet so he won't disturb their journey in the dream world._

… _slowly…..ouch! Ouch!_

 _His hunger won't let him go over this so smoothly, though. Even if it just a second, never look away from the dark thread of misery wrapping around your neck, Kamijou._

 _One slightest pull and the pain of sorrow will multiple._

… _..such misfortune._

 _Kamijou was having a touched time moving his hands and knees, wriggling around just for the sake of satisfying a hunger that he experienced almost every days. Finally reaching the handle, a thin smile rose on his face._

 _Normally, you predicted that thin smile should be wiped off in the next line._

 _Well, the spiky haired boy knew too well what would happen next the moment he opened the refrigerator. A split second of enjoying victory would always cause him to forget how cliché and how much of a troll his bad luck can be._

… _.empty._

 _The content of the fridge was empty, it was filled with nothing more than a freezing cold air. No foods, no drinks and no fresh ingredients to decorate the inside of it._

 _But upon seeing that sad sight, the smile hadn't disappeared._

 _It would be different this time around, the spiky haired boy had already anticipated this after all. Thanks to Index's bottomless gluttony, he tried to put more thoughts into dealing with circumstance like these. Being smart was something new he achieved from all that struggles in battles and crazy incidents on both sides of the world._

 _Index would never know about this, there was actually a small hidden gap between the lowest shelves in the fridge, a plain cardboard paint in white was enough to do the trick._

 _Kamijou made this, it was done to hid…to reserve some foods in case of emergency._

 _Do not get the wrong idea, he did this with a very clear and pure intention. It was not like he attempt to deceive anybody, it would be in contrast to the whole ideal he believed in. But sometime dodging the rules was what it meant to survive, a little bit won't make a big deal. After all, this was for his insecure wallet._

 _In order to prevent the lack of food issue from becoming a full time loop, he decided to break the chain that had always been tangling his wallet. Kamijou had put this idea he thought of into motion for the past few days._

… _..heh, everything I bought yesterday is still here._

 _For a better explanation, there was only a pack consisted of six cheap, small puddings hid in that gap. Everything starts small, no need to sympathize him for his poverty._

 _This location was more or less the last safe haven for every source of nutrition in his dorm. Kamijou knew better than to expose this top secret shelf to Index, the nun would devour everything if he wasn't around._

 _How fearless and cunning he had become, Kamijou Touma. Regaining the lost memories and recovering the legacy of the past him, the one who was supposed to have been long dead, had made the boy an even more reckless individual than before._

 _He had changed._

 _Could it be that having the diary around was one useful thing he could use to express the changing of something from the depth of him heart?_

 _To be so secretive like this, what was it that he had noticed while walking down along the path of his non-stopped chaotic life?_

 _If the freeloaders found out about this, what would they think of him?_

… _..screw it, I'm hungry so I'll eat. That's all that matters!_

 _The hunger made him sounded like Index for a second there. The spiky haired boy picked one, he closed the fridge, discreetly taking a spoon from the shelves._

 _After this, he could say goodbye to this rumbling sound in his stomach._

… _.time to dig in._

… _._

… _._

 _Kamijou was still confused, that thin smile had been wiped off his face._

… _..what kind of cliché is this?! Open, damn it!_

 _A little setback, for some reason, he couldn't get the lid to open. After wresting around for half an hour with the little cup, that tiny, round thing with a 50 percent sale sticker on top started to become annoyed in Kamijou's eyes. Again, no need to feel sympathy for his poverty._

 _Being cornered, Kamijou grabbed the kitchen knife as his pupil glared up dangerously while a sharp glint formed in it. No more patience, no more wasted effort, he was too hungry. If it had come to this, might as well using violence to break thing._

" _You ask for it." Some kind of illusionary dark miasma flew out his mouth when he said those words._

 _Like holding a spear, Kamijou thrust the knife down with full force. In all the ridiculousness, the pudding bounced off and went flying to his face as the honed tip of the knife hit near the edge of the cap._

 _How weird, even though inanimate objects have no emotion, it still managed to land a blow right at Kamijou's face._

 _Why did it has to be the face anyway?_

 _Taking the hit, the boy stumbled backward but he didn't miss a single moment to keep the noise down. In a smooth motion, he successfully caught the falling pudding with his flexible right hand before it struck the floor, he wasn't amused though, all that works and the cap still won't lift an inch._

 _Rubbing his sore nose, calming himself down, Kamijou took one last scan around the room to see if anyone had woke up yet because of the noises in the kitchen. His heart nearly skipped a beat when Index sat up and lied down again, the nun was just shifting her sleeping pose. Such a relief, their sleep didn't seem to be disturbed._

 _Kamijou placed the pudding cup on the vacant space in another attempt to retry. The rumbling sound won't leave any room for him to have a peaceful night, he would have to be quick about this and stop fooling around._

 _One more time._

 ** _Crash!_**

… _crash?_

 _Eyes twitching in dumbfounded, Kamijou raised the knife to his eyes level. The tip had successfully impaled the pudding cup by the cap and…it just stuck there, like a takoyaki on a stick. There whole reason why the cap won't move was because it had been frozen over due to the hidden gap inside the fridge had no space for the cool air to circulate. And since the pack was placed deep inside where the cold air fell down along the back wall, eventually, that small place became a mini cold storage._

 _Knowing what that meant, Kamijou peeked into the fridge, at the hidden gap he made. From the outside, those pudding cups he bought appeared pretty normal, but…._

 _Once he touched and tried to squeeze it in his hand, the soft sensation was not what he felt, instead it was very solid and cold. The inside had been turned into ice._

"… _.."_

 _Misfortune seemed to never get tired at making things difficult for him, didn't it? All these efforts he put into reserving foods and to save themselves from the imminent threat that was Index's gluttonous side._

 _The spiky haired gave the cup a long, hard stare while his stomach kept rebelling in the form of a rumbling sound._

 _Both hands and knees on the ground, Kamijou tried his best to swallow in his flowing anime tears._

* * *

"That is karma for you." The auburn haired girl giggled.

"…..karma…." Kamijou sweat dropped."It…..It's not like I've been doing anything bad! Why do I have to be the one receiving karma?! This is not fair, I'm telling you!"

"But you were really did trying to hide those puddings from your roommates, weren't you?"

"…" The boy averted his gaze.

Yup, that was part of the plan. Kamijou made no comment as words stuck in his throat.

Oh, the embarrassing silence lingered like a spear stabbed through his soul.

"Y-you couldn't even retort to me. This is indeed karma, alright."

"B-b-but desperate time calls for desperate measure! I can't satisfy Index's demands all the time, my wallet is almost completely broke and my fund is nearly zero!" The boy hang his head down, let out a long sigh."I can't do anything about it."

The auburn haired girl opened her mouth to say but Kamijou stopped her by raising his hand up, showing her the 'stop' sign.

"But it's not like I decided to give up, either. That's why I came up with this idea as a way to help both me and my roommates survive the harsh, poor life of this Kamijou-san, you know."

"I'm not going to judge you for your way of living." Seeing Kamijou staring directly into her eyes, the girl lightly twirled the end of her side ponytail while she shifted her view to the vacant spots on her bed."Asides from the reason why you hid your puddings from your friend, I…I meant to say that I understand how you feel, too."

"You do?" Unknowingly, the spiky haired boy's iris brightened up at those words.

"Yes, I actually do. I have a few friends and they're also happen to be a big glutton just like your roommate." The girl said, her tone was almost as desperate as him when he relived his story for her."Whenever it is meal time, **EMIYA-kun** and I have to cook more dishes than we could afford to. Even though my kouhai has joined in to help me in the kitchen recently, it's still very exhausting just by watching them consume everything on the table in one go. It is like they have a bottomless stomach or something."

Kamijou nodded thoughtfully, feeling sympathy for her. It was good to know someone was in the same boat as him, a girl no less.

"It's somewhat terrifying, not to mention one of them refers to eat junk food instead of standard healthy one." The girl complaint but afterward, she has this tiny smile formed on her lip."But I don't think I can ever be bothered by that aspect of them. In fact, I don't mind at all."

"?"

Kamijou raised his eyebrows in wonder, he tried to keep his facial expression as neutral as he could. Because he wouldn't want the concerned feeling swelling up inside him to be exposed all over it as the auburn haired girl talked about her friend with that little warm smile on her face.

One thing he noticed ever since he met the girl in this strange place.

This whole time, whenever she smiled at him, whether it was an amusing one or just out of politeness, Kamijou could see a wave of emotion contradicted to the bright expression she was making.

Even now, as she told him more about her friends, those wave of emotions became a lot more prominent. Kamijou could feel it as he looked straight into her eyes.

Somehow, those smiles that looked so kind to a stranger like him…..

It contained a little bit of sorrow.

….her smile….it feels sad…..

That moment, he realized something else.

…does that means…..what I saw back then was actually-

"….mijou-san…Kamijou-san!"

"Y-yes, Kamijou-san here!" The boy jumped out of his thought when the girl brought her face closed to him, waving her hands in front of his eyes.

"Are you listening to me? You seem distracted." The auburn haired girl asked him, her expression filled with worry.

"Sorry, I got lost in my own thought, it's…." Kamijou paused, scratching the back of his head as he looked at her again in the eyes. Shortly after, the contact broke as she slightly averted her iris from his gaze, looking at anywhere but him."…..it's probably nothing. Anyway, where were we?"

"Ah, so you really didn't listen to me when I'm talking." The girl pouted cutely."Invading a girl's privacy in the middle of the night and trailed off in the middle of ours conversation. How rude of you, Kamijou-san."

"I'm sorry." Kamijou bowed his head apologetically only to perked up immediately after he noticed she was calling him by his surname."…..wait, my name….."

"You've been addressing yourself by that name this entire time, haven't you? I figured it would be okay to call you like that." The girl gave him a victorious smile, folding her arms under her modest size chest, which was hid well behind her pajama."Do you see? I paid attention to you when we're talking."

Kamijou couldn't help but sweat dropped and hang his head down without a word to defend himself for that.

 ** _Gggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!_**

Right at such a perfect time, the growling sound just helped adding more salt to his wound. He would probably be laughed at, no doubt.

…..it's okay, laugh…laugh all you want.

Kamijou didn't seem to care much about his decent image being crushed into another thousand pieces and stabbed back at him. If only there was a hole for him to jump in and hide for the rest of his life.

 ** _Gggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!_**

The spiky haired boy started to have the urge to punch himself in the stomach.

….wait, that was not me.

Looking back, the rumbling noise from earlier and now weren't not from him. They came from directly in front of him.

Kamijou looked back at the girl.

Much to his surprise, steams burst out from her head. The auburn haired girl covered her stomach, her cheek burnt a sweet color of strawberry in total embarrassment and it spread more as he kept staring at her.

"….ah…oh….that's right…" The girl muttered under her breath, barely kept her thought straight."…..a-after yesterday's **Rayshift** , I went straight to bed…f-fell asleep…the entire time…without eating anything…"

 ** _Gggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!_**

"Ah wah!" The girl jumped at another growling, those pair of pure eyes of her got watery and spun around like crazy.

For a young girl at her age to be seen like this by a stranger and worst, in front of a boy. She wanted to kick the blanket and hid inside there, gripping it then rolling into a cocoon so bad.

"….I…I…" The girl stuttered while she blushed heavily. She couldn't find the word to make up an excuse for this awkward situation she created for herself."….that was…."

"Ahahahaha! Sorry, that was me, I guess I'm still really hungry after all. I have nothing aside from that pudding." Kamijou laughed it off, loud enough that his voice overlapped the embarrassing sound."Can we…go to the kitchen?"

Nice save, Kamijou! As a gentleman, even though as a dense one at that, this much was the least he could do to help a girl hide away her embarrassment.

The girl stared at him in surprise, the faint redness on her cheek darkened. She seemed to know the boy pretended to take the shame for himself.

"Ehehe~, you're such a nice person." The girl said in earnest, gladly accepting his little cover up, she was grateful.

Very maiden-liked, she brought a hand to cover her mouth as she let out a light titter. Kamijou's act finally brought another smile on her face. Although, he could tell that smile was not a genuinely happy one.

Standing up from her bed, the auburn haired girl extended the hand with the red symbol at the back toward him.

"My name is **Ritsuka**." She said, the **Master** of hundreds of **Heroic Spirits** introduced herself." **Fujimaru Ritsuka.** Even though the circumstance is a little weird, still, it's nice to meet you."

In respond, Kamijou also stretched out his right hand…without aware of some very complicated scenarios that might happen once their hands touch.

"Kamijou To-"

 ** _Ggrrrr!_**

The spiky haired boy retracted his hand immediately to cover his belly. Now it was his turn to feel the shame for real.

Their hands didn't make contact. Maybe it was still too soon for the red string of fate to connect both him and the girl.

Setting that topic aside, Kamijou was gritting his teeth in annoyance. It wasn't just the growl that let out, there was also this discomfort feeling, the kind of pain that had forced him to crawl out of his bathtub and unable to walk stable for a short period like back then. He had no idea what kind of face Fujimaru was making at this hilario-….embarrassing sight as he looked away.

Regardless, Kamijou continued where he left off, he didn't forget to offer her a small smile, the one smile that has unintentionally caused many girls to feel the harsh throbbing inside their chest after he helped them with their problems, as an extra bonus to make up for his awkwardness.

"I'm Kamijou To-"

 ** _Ggrrrrr!_**

As if that could work.

Never a dull moment, misfortune shot his effort down the drain.

"…just…point me to the kitchen….please." Spoken in a very delicate tone.

Giving up, the spiky haired boy pleaded for whatever left of his dignity, he couldn't stop wiping and hiding his face from her view. Those salty drops of water won't stop streaming down his eyes.

….

….

"You know, maybe this is a little bit too late to say this but…this is strange."

"?" Fujimaru raised her eyes at Kamijou's words, wondering what he was talking about.

Currently, all sources of light throughout the hall and other sections has been shut down for saving energy. They have been walking in the darkness, trailing along the hallway to reach their destination.

"I've just noticed a few things, this place is spacious no matter how you look at it." Kamijou spoke as he looked around, pondering while he walked behind the girl."Long corridors, big hallways, the sight of snowy mountains outside the window. A lot of separate rooms and corners, no kitchen and the foods is stored in only one area which is the cafeteria."

The spiky haired boy smile a weak smiled and looked at his companion.

"Fujimaru-san, it is rather sudden from this Kamijou-san but can I ask you a question?"

"Yes?"

"Where in the world are we?" He deadpanned, scratching the back of his head like he got used to weird situations like these.

"You're asking me that?!" The girl was obviously stunned by the question.

Kamijou replied to her by nodding his head. As much as the boy wanted to explain, he was just as confused as her.

"You actually have no idea?" The girl asked him again.

"I honestly don't, I'm at a lost here. Well, for starter, I know this place is definitely not Japan or Academy City."

Seriously, Kamijou, you only realized that until now?

The girl gazed at him, longer than usual as if she was suspicious of something, of him. Kamijou felt like he did something bad, the stare she was giving him was not very comfortable.

"….I see…..maybe you're….the same as me."

Kamijou heard Fujimaru muttered a few words under her breath.

He didn't get a full grasp of it but what did she mean by the same?

A short moment later, the girl nodded to herself and she approached him with a cheerful expression.

"I think I know why you asked me that, you must be from the new team."

Kamijou blinked, her words made it sound like she misunderstood him.

"Heh~, this is unexpected. I thought **Da Vinci-chan** said the new staff members will be here in two more days, I must have misheard her."

No doubt about it, Fujimaru definitely took the wrong meaning out of his question.

On a side note, Da Vinci-chan?

…..as in Leonardo Da Vinci?

"I see, I see, this is your first time here, isn't it? Maybe that is why you got lost and went to my room without knowing. It's alright, everyone here are good people. If you need any details about Chaldea, just ask around or you can ask me, I'm willing to guide you around." She looked at him in the eyes, within a few seconds, as if bothered by something, she quickly broke their eyes contact and turned away."B-but for now, l-let's hurry and fill ours empty stomach first, Kamijou-san."

The girl took a distance from him, increasing her pace as she walked ahead. Kamijou stared at her back in silence, his thoughts faded away as something from her got his attention.

...just now….

There was it again.

Earlier, in a short glimpse, he could tell the auburn haired girl reacted when they stared at each other in the eyes. She purposely averted her gaze from his like she was bothered by it.

…..no, it's more complicated than that…..

She was trying not to meet his gaze because she must had knew that once she looked into his eyes, he would discover a hint that easily break the fragile wall she put in between them or maybe everyone around her, even.

Kamijou noticed, back in the room, when she offered him a warm cup of tea, when they were talking and even right now, those were definitely the same reaction. Fujimaru was worrying about something, she was afraid that he could see through the true feelings she has been suppressing this entire time or maybe even longer before this strange meeting occurs.

Those eyes of her that filled with an emotion he couldn't describe or put a name to, the boy has a feeling he knew it from somewhere.

Something was odd, it was awfully familiar.

"Kamijou-san, this way." Fujimaru called him and she quickly turned away.

Following suit while he kept on his concentration to look over a thousand pieces of memories stored deep in the back of his mind.

The search didn't take long, a group of recollections and the emotional feelings it carried along flashed through Kamijou's head.

The fear.

The pain.

The tears.

The worst.

The despair.

The sadness.

The shattering will.

The Alpha and Omega worlds.

…ah, that explains it.

Kamijou finally came to understand a certain aspect of the girl in front of him. He has seen it so many time that he couldn't ever forget.

Even though he has only just met her.

Even though he didn't know her story.

Even though he knew nothing about her.

There was one thing about Fujimaru he recognized.

It wasn't just her smile that gave out a sad impression, her eyes, her gaze, and the wave of emotion he saw welling up inside those iris of that girl. They were all just like…..

...the same look I had back in those phrases.

That was what he felt when he looked at what reflected in her eyes. To put it another way, Kamijou saw a part of himself in her. The "Kamijou Touma" who got drowned in the deepest part of billion hells.

It was exactly the same feeling when he stared at his reflection in the mirror, every time the memories relived those merciless nightmares over and over in his sleep.

It is the truth for the two of them.

To an extent, the way Fujimaru put it when she said he was the same as her, by her definition, she was wrong. However, by the words, she was right.

" **We're the same."**

Kamijou Touma, an ordinary boy became the unfortunate wielder of the Imagine Breaker and suffered because of it.

Fujimaru Ritsuka, a regular girl became the last Master of humanity and took on the burden of saving the world.

In their eyes and deep in the bottom of their hearts, they shared a common trait.

They shared the same sadness.

…

…

"Oh, hold up."

Out of the blue, Fujimaru stopped on her track and she signaled Kamijou to do the same.

"We're about to cross that hallway over there, the cafeteria lies beyond that path." The girl turned to him, and of course, she didn't look at him in the eyes."Kamijou-san, I need to give you some advices before we go through here."

"Advices?"

"Yes, advices. Please move your feet as quietly as possible and don't say anything until we moved past this hallway, alright?"

Kamijou looked past her and took a quick glance at the place, all he can see was the darkness that paint black the entire hallway and the lack of people presences. The path didn't seem to have anything out of ordinary.

Why couldn't they just walk normally like they have been doing?

Why would she insist him to enter stealth mode?

"This is very important, especially when I'm walking with a boy like you." Fujimaru clasped her hands."Can you do that for me?"

"Sorry, I don't get it. Why being with me becomes that much of a hurdler? There is nothing in the hallway."

To say it more accurate, the place where they stood was completely devoid of any sign of people.

"No, I didn't mean to say it like that. I just don't want my friends to find out we are out here in the middle of a night." Fujimaru looked back at one of the three doors that appeared along the path. For some reason, she was nervous, speaking in a very soft tone."Since we've gone this far and you've just come here, I don't want to bring any trouble to you."

"Ah, that. Troubles always find it way to me." Nonchalantly replied Kamijou as he smiled."It's a part of my life now, you don't need to worry about it. Anything that comes from rotten luck, I face them like eating breakfast. In fact, it happens every day."

"No no, it's not that. That is not what I'm talking about." Then she stopped, the girl blinked as his words sunk in."Although, hearing you say about yourself like that, I can't help but feel worry for you. Are you all right now?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka was indeed a good person at heart. She instantly put Kamijou's concern above her after she heard him said it the first time.

"Probably never."

The girl widened her eyes at his words, she couldn't believe how calm and carefree a face he made when he gave someone such a depressing answer like that.

"This Kamijou-san got used to it. But thanks, I don't get that a lot from people around me."

Actually, he did, everyone worried about him and he just didn't realize that yet.

As for the record, those who had met and only heard about him in Academy was considered a very small amount of the true number. From this strange meeting, the number has been increased by one.

"Are you sure?" Fujimaru leaned closer to him, her side ponytail waved lightly at the motion of her head.

"I'm s-sure." Stuttering slightly, Kamijou has to take a step back as he realized his face was about 4 inches from her and that was just the standard size of a hand length.

He never paid attention before but now that he got a close view at her face, as it was his nature belonged to that of a gentleman, Kamijou won't dare to make any comment about her features yet he would have to admit a few certain facts about Fujimaru's appearance.

The spiky haired boy's gaze slowly traveled through the most attractive features on the auburn haired girl's face.

The pair of curious eyes that showed a hint of sadness and carried the matched color of her hair.

The small lip which stained the pigment of light rose.

The thin, slender nose that refined her countenance.

If someone happened to force him to make a comparison, he would say it like below. (Normally he would object.)

Compared to Index…..wrong, he shouldn't compare Index to her. That would be way too cruel for the young nun. (And he would make damn sure Index will never find and read this line in his diary.)

Compared to Othinus…..wait, he couldn't compare her to the beauty of a goddess, either. Honestly speaking, it would still be unfair, Othinus's attractiveness defined her own league.

Compared to Misaka….no, she would electrocute him all day if this diary ever fell into her hand.

Fun fact, Kamijou thought about this while he accidentally let his vision caught the wonderful view of Fujimaru in a perfect angle downward. The pajama Fujimaru wearing really did a nice job hugging the curve of her body.

…focus now, me! Look at her in the face! Thought Kamijou as he mentally persuaded himself to put those thoughts away.

After all, not letting the mind filled with worldly desire is part of being a gentleman.

Compared to Imouto….hm, wouldn't she be the same as Misaka?

Compared to Shokuhou, in a sense, Shokuhou was beautiful but in her own way while Fujimaru also has a distinctive beauty of her own. Besides, should he really need to compare her to a middle schooler? (Therefore, another reason for Kamijou to never let anyone read this diary.)

….this is going nowhere, I shouldn't have done this.

Too late to feel regret now.

An idea popped up in Kamijou's line of thought, maybe he should focus on a specific style to narrow down the choice of words he could use to depict her.

…she has short hair that reaches her shoulder….ah! She looks similar to Itsuwa.

Compared to Itsuwa, they have the same kind look. Although, Fujimaru appeared more energetic than the maiden of the Amakusa Church.

Kamijou was dense for sure. However, despite that, the eyes that has been sharpened in many battles would show him what he usually miss out, those features that made a girl a flower stood out in the garden.

By all mean, Fujimaru Ritsuka was undoubtedly attractive, if not, pretty would likely be the best word to describe her.

"Ka…Kamijou-san?!" Calling out his name, the girl let out a small yelp that shook Kamijou out of his thought.

The boy blinked a few times as he witnessed a strange phenomenon happened on her cheek, the smooth, florid skin was becoming redder the longer he looked at. Slowly, heat spread all over her face like the sunlight burnt through a snow filled landscape.

What happened?! Did she undergone some kind of sickness or disease?! Or so what appeared in his head, he was worry.

"W-what's wrong?! Are you feeling alright?" He seriously went and asked her that.

"Y-your face is too close!" Said Fujimaru in a wavering tone as she turned her head sideway.

It was not until that Kamijou realized he was staring at her from up-close, right hand placed on her shoulder, grabbing it firmly. The boy could clearly feel the warm in her breath touched his cheek when she spoke. He broke into her personal space and now the distance between them was barely noticeable.

"Ah, sorry!" The spiky haired boy quickly pulled back."I got lost in my own thought again."

"Honestly, what kind of reason is that? Your action doesn't make any sense at all." Still looking away, she muttered in a low voice."It's unreasonable to make a girl's heart race like this, you know."

….she's mad at me now, isn't she?

A drop of cold sweat rolled down from Kamijou's forehead, this was bad, a very bad move on his end.

Since when did he become such a flirt? Was it because of the hunger?! Was he feeling so hungry that his mind started going into some dangerous path?!

No matter how he tried to look at it, this certainly would not end well for him and the sight of her red face strengthened even further the fact that his image in her eyes has just gone from a stranger to a total creep.

"Kamijou-san."

*gulp*

By now, Fujimaru has every right to scream and alert everyone that a pervert has violated her privacy or even give him a slap across the face as a punishment for the deed he committed.

Either way, Kamijou knew it was his fault that things turned out like this. He couldn't there would be the day he unconsciously lost himself to the primal nature of man even though he told himself not to just a minute ago. For that, he should be ready to accept the punishment.

…..brace yourself Kamijou, prepare to be kick in the ass because of your own stupidity.

"I don't know much about the impression I gave you since this is the first time we've met and to tell the truth, I'm surprised to know you see me this way." Fingers fidgeting in front of her chest, Fujimaru said shyly." **Jekyll-kun** once told me that I'm pretty, **Gilgamesh** said something similar, too, though I thing he was mocking me as a mongrel. I-It's not like I w-want to brag about it but if you happen to see me in that light then….then…..."

…..eh? What is this?

Suddenly, how come it came to this?

Her face was red, she was still getting mad at him, right?

That should be the correct reaction, right?

Kamijou was dumbfounded as he stared at Fujimaru, who turned her head down, letting her bang swept over her face. Maybe it was his imagination, the spiky haired boy could see something beautiful glittering around her, something like a lovely pink background.

…what the heck am I seeing? What's with this special effect behind her am I seeing?! Eh? Is my eyes playing trick on me?!

As he was at a loss, incapable to comprehend the girl's act, an idea struck Kamijou in the head like a spark of thunder. The boy glanced down at his right hand.

…..don't tell me…..

Earlier, this right hand made its way to touch her at the shoulder without him even aware of its movement.

….the knot has already been tiedddddddd?! Screamed internally Kamijou as he thought about the possibility of Imagine Breaker once again messed with the red string of fates.

If this reaction he saw from the girl was the result this right hand caused then that won't change the fact that this was totally his fault. Kamijou has done something he could not fix, the boy figured he needs to sincerely apologize to her. It didn't matter much if his status got downgraded to the lowest level of society after this, as long as he could fix this misunderstanding he brought upon himself and Fujimaru, he would gladly accept her wrath for he was dared to toy with a person's heart, which was unforgivable….so he thought.

Poor him, he had forgot how contagious the Kami-yan disease was when it combined with the ability to open the way to a person's heart, meaning his nature.

Don't always drop all the blame onto your right hand, Kamijou Touma.

…such misfortune.

Kamijou narrowed his eyes, Fujimaru hasn't saying her next word yet.

This was his chance, these cliché and awkward moments has been stretching longer than enough already. It's high time to break the ice.

….alright, me, now bow your head down and shout like you mean it!

"I'm-"

"I'm sorry!"

Fujimaru's sudden apology froze Kamijou on the spot, she bowed her head down before he could do the same thing.

"We have just met, I can only consider you as a friend! Things such as this should take time, you can't force a relationship!"

The spiky haired boy has no comment. Instead, he took a moment to ponder over her words. Fujimaru apologized to him before he could even say the key word 'sorry'.

That was unexpected.

…does this mean she wasn't angry at me because of my stupid act?

"I know this is a rather selfish answer from me but since a lot of things have been in my mind recently, I don't think it's possible for me to think about stuff like this! M-more importantly, I d-don't think my Servants will allow me to do this. Besides, there are procedures for this kind of thing and we need to follow it step by step, don't you think so?" During some parts of her speech, the girl stuttered, how cute.

Apparently, Kamijou wasn't paying attention, he was busy deciphering the meaning behind Fujimaru's words. The idiot didn't know he missed the whole point.

"I'm actually happy to know you feel that way toward me. I really am! But we should begin as friends and get to know each other first!"

Fujimaru stopped, looking at the boy as she waited for him to say something.

"I see."

The boy finally replied, his expression was serious.

"It's a no, then." (You didn't mad at me, then.)

"Yes." She nodded and sweat dropped at the next second."W-why are you looking so happy?"

"Ah, nothing really." Kamijou flashed a bright smile across his face while scratching his head in relief."This is great. It's good to know (you really weren't mad because of me)."

…..'they' didn't seem to tamper with the red string of fate yet. But odd, for a second, I thought she was going to confess to me…..and…..what did she mean by Servants? I guess I'm just over imagining things…..or maybe I'm too hungry my mind is beginning to go wild.

Oh, so he did paid attention to her words. However, he was still many steps away from the true meaning.

"Kamijou-san, I don't mean this in a bad way though I have to be honest, you are such a strange person." Fujimaru found it hard to believe someone can still be able to put on a broad smile after getting rejected, not anyone could do that.

The spiky haired boy kept on smiling for a while before he instantly dropped it as the annoying rumbling sound rang, Kamijou has no choice but to cover his rebelling belly and failed to stop a blush from spreading on his face. Staring at his sheepish face, Fujimaru couldn't resist a chuckle and the girl also let out a small laugh afterward.

The atmosphere surrounded the two has changed back to normal, hilarious while it last. Once again, they went back to their original objective, to supply foods for their empty stomachs.

Having said that, as they were standing on the hallway where the cafeteria was only a few more miles away, they seemed to no longer remember the three doors they had to move past in order to reach the place.

Fujimaru Ritsuka has said in the beginning, in order to go to the other side of this path, they would have to be extremely quiet and stealthy. Partly because she didn't want those who was living inside those to catch them of what they were doing, especially when she was together with a stranger, a boy in her age.

They had been talking, lost in their own little predicament and because of that, they had forgotten the most important part.

All this time, they should have kept quiet.

Thus, they heard a sound, it was the sound of footsteps echoed inside one of those rooms.

Kamijou raised his eyebrow in wonder, didn't think their voice were overheard. On the other hand, the auburn haired Fujimaru grew extremely paled as she recognized the sound.

Those gentle steps resounding in the darkness, they were from one of her many Servants, a **Berserker** class.

Eventually, the automatic door opened, the figure of a young girl cloaked in a traditional kimono and a fan in her hand walked out of the room.

The servant, **Kiyohime** , appeared as she woke up from her sleep, or to put it in a more accurate way, her slumber was disturbed by the loud noises coming from outside her room, from those two.

" **Hm~, I thought I heard Master's voice."**

Obviously, the spiky haired boy had no idea what this would mean to him or how badly this would turn out.

One thing for sure, his instinct was screaming. If his rotten luck was cruel enough to land a strike right now, it wouldn't be much of an exaggeration to say Kamijou was about to stare directly at his impending doom.

(The next page has been torn off.)

...

This lost entry raised the curtain of a one in a lifetime meeting.

But the beginning of it was incomplete.

There was still a small part of the story that Kamijou has not yet revealed to Fujimaru. The continuation took place after Kamijou wasted his energy to crack open the stubborn lid of the pudding cup.

With the kitchen knife in hand and the effort spent by enduring for nearly an hour to wait for the ice cold pudding to melt, he successfully opened it…..but with a small price to pay.

* * *

 _…..Ite! Crap, that's a deep cut._

 _Kamijou frowned as he checked the small injure on his right hand thumb, caused by the sharp edge of his knife. He used too much force that it slipped off and made a split on the skin._

 _A thin trail of blood leaked out, one drop dripped down the floor. What came after that was the sensation of something unknown wrapped around him._

 _The night was still and young, as dead silence as a sea without waves._

 _Then, the boy flinched. Index's gentle lullaby was no longer heard._

 _There was whispering, like someone was muttering a strange language in a disembodied voice. Kamijou locked his gaze on the small yet deep cut that was bleeding the red substance. It didn't stop, something else was leaking out of his wound as it mixed in together with the wet liquid that reeked a rusty smell._

 _"…."_

 _It was only a small amount of sensation that he felt spreading through his right arm._

 _The spiky haired boy let out a small sigh, he ignored it, muttering his catchphrase and bent down, grabbing a box of tissue nearby to clean the red stain._

 _Having done, he dusted off and went to happily taste the sweet, chilling flavor that numbed his brain out._

 _…..so cold!_

 _Kamijou opened the door and went back to his comfortable bathtub while he slipped another piece of the delicious dish into his mouth, eyes closing to enjoy the rare moment of satisfaction._

 _In that instance, the world around him shifted._

 _….._

 _….._

 _...eh? I don't remember the floor around my bathtub being this soft._

 _Kamijou hasn't opened his eyes yet, he was still walking straight to his bed yet he felt there was something changing in the atmosphere._

 _….and what is this tingling feeling under my feet? It's like I'm trampling on something._

 _Lifting his eyelids, Kamijou opened wide his eyes at a wonderful view. There were flowers, glittering stars on the night sky. Everything stretched so far that it seemed endless._

 _He found himself standing in the middle of a vast field, where a cool wind delivered hundreds of colorful petals to the air._

 _Up ahead, he spotted a great figure of a lonely creature. In its long slumber, it held onto a shining relic, waiting for the call of someone._

 _Kamijou was too stunt to react at the sight and the sudden change in scenery._

 _Before he was able to process what he saw, once again, the world around him shifted._

 _…._

 _…_

 _…just now…..what did I….?_

 _Pondering for a moment, Kamijou realized the surrounding has changed once more._

 _He stared at a plain wall. He blinked one, twice, thrice as sweats poured out from his head like raining._

 _For some reason, the boy immediately checked his right hand as if he knew what causing this strange event to happen. It was the small cut on his thumb from earlier. Kamijou inspected it very closely with a stern glare, no more blood leaking out and the wound has closed. It was not normal._

 _The spiky haired boy let out the longest sigh ever in depression, probably because he knew he was in big trouble. There goes the peaceful night._

 _….why? I'm just hungry and wanted to eat a little snack, such misfortune._

 _The boy started looking around, he was inside a dark room. It was difficult to make out what other things he could see in that blackness._

 _He heard a sound, so he followed it, aiming for the direction it came from. Within a few steps, the pudding cup in his grasp fell off to the floor._

 _Time slowed down._

 _A small gap formed on Kamijou's mouth as his eyes met a silhouette._

 _That silhouette was a girl._

 _She was Fujimaru Ritsuka._

 _She was in her bed, her hands gripped the blanket tightly as she wrapped it around her like a cocoon._

 _But that was not the reason shocked Kamijou to the point he unconsciously let his precious pudding cup slipped out of hand. It was because of two wet line of waters trailing down on either side of her cheeks._

 _In the darkness, her tears glittered as if they were calling for his attention._

 _Fujimaru was crying, trembling as she hugged her knees, whimpering as if she was on the verge of losing hope._

 _Kamijou had seen it all._

 _As the cup hit the ground, the girl lifted up her head to look at where the dull sound echoed._

 _In that moment, their eyes made contact, marking the beginning of an awkward conversation._

 _The beginning of a one in a lifetime meeting._

 _A strange fate._

/

* * *

 **Author's note: Well, that is the end of the first part.**

 **Now, before we start this note, I want to thank Darkbetrayer, the author of the famous story A Certain Infinite Possibility, for letting me use a scenario in his story as a reference in this entry. Once again, thank you very much.**

 **So, dear readers, what do you think of this little crossover?**

 **There are a lot of things need to be explained here.**

 **First of all, the way Kamijou Touma sees through the pain of others the instance he looks into their eyes, this unique characteristic might have been far-fetched but in my opinion, I think Kamijou is able to do so. As we've already known how much he has suffered ever since his childhood and even til now, including the billions of hells he was thrown in. With the lost memory of the past Kamijou Touma, who died on that night in July, regained back, the post-amnesia Kamijou knew what he has been doing and enduring for the longest time in his life. He comes to fully understand the meaning of pain, both physically and mentally. If there is someone who experiences the same pain like him, the pain you received from a similar role such as trying to bear the burden of everything around on your shoulder alone, surely Kamijou can recognize those emotions as he has done and seen it too many time already.**

 **In Fate/Grand Order, the main protagonist of the game was a person with no background or whatsoever, he/she was just an ordinary person with no talent and zero knowledge of all the Grail Wars. Then suddenly they become the last person who can summon Servants and have the responsibility go save the world. I took my own interpretation of their character and as you has already seen, a girl who appears to be in distress by something overwhelming, she is enduring and there appears to be something more than that.**

 ** **I was having fun while I was in the middle of writing this chapter so I think I might have added a little bit of unnecessary stuffs but at least it still managed to finish Kamijou's part. The second and final part will focus on Fujimaru's side of the story and bring a conclusion to her problem.  
****

 ** **More of her Servants will appear but they won't get to meet the he who called Invinsible Demon, so I apologize if you want that to happen. Besides, there is a high chance the Kami-yan disease might end up spreading to Fujimaru's harem...or maybe even the Master herself.****

 ** ** **Also, I like to clarify a few thing about Diary. Diary is** ** **actually** a gathering place of the stories that tell the moments of Kamijou and everyone around him before his demise in the main storyline and the stories which are: stand-alone chapters, one-shots and ideas that I can't apply to the Lost Light, which is why this entry is considered a lost one, you can think of it like Kamijou torn it off the note and hid it away somewhere in his dorm after he wrote it down. ******

******Well, that's about it.******

 ** ** **Review the chapter if you please, criticism is also greatly appreciate. I will see you again in the next note.******


	3. A-Strange-Fate (2)

**I am BACK! Finally! I finally have the time to continue this one-shot. Oh, the story of life, busy and full of worry. Anyway, thank you for your patience.**

 **Before we begin, I think I need to say I made a big miscalculation of the scale of this crossover. Due to the length and the concept, this story actually has three parts, not two, which is my bad. (laugh)**

 **The next chapter will truly bring the conclusion to many problems of FGO's protagonist.**

 **For now, please enjoy~.**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own To Aru Majutsu no Index series and I do not own any characters relate to the FATE series owned by Type-Moon.**

* * *

 **Memories_of_HIM**

 _ **Lost Entry #2**_

 **A_Strange_Fate (II)**

…w-what am I going to do?!

Fujimaru Ritsuka was extremely paled.

….I've done it now!

The young auburn haired girl continuously gasped for the air in her lung, it was a simple reflex-based action that brought her a thrilling experience. There was no violence involved or anything bad of the sort, it was downright just a basic instinct triggered her to do so.

….I ran away without a second thought!

Back then, when a certain tenacious dragon princess walked out of her own room, Fujimaru was frightened to the point she unconsciously pulled the boy's arm and forced him to make a run toward the opposite direction of the cafeteria with her. The girl was afraid of what will become of her and the boy if she found them together.

Right now, she was still running, making a good distance away from Kiyohime as far as possible. And hopefully there aren't any giant bell lying around.

"Fu-Fujimaru-san, why are we running? And more importantly, why are you holding my arm?"

The spiky haired boy was right behind her, moving at the same pace as the girl. Wait, did he just say holding arm?

Fujimaru looked down at her own hand which was grabbing firmly the hand of the other boy, whom she believed was the new recruit of Chaldea. He was right, she were holding his arm while running away from one of her Servants.

…I grabbed his arm without knowing?!

"….s-sorry." Fujimaru blushed a little bit as she released her grasp on his arm.

"Master~, are you there?" The said Servant called out to her dear Master/Husband, her sweet voice echoed along the dark hallway behind them and it gave the girl a shiver.

"Say Fujimaru-san, whose voice was that just now? Somehow, I think that person is looking for someone." Kamijou said, looking back over his shoulder.

"Kamijou-san! Don't look behind you, this is a matter between life and death!" Getting a little bit scared by those words, Kamijou could only stare at her in awe.

Lucky for Fujimaru, Kiyohime didn't seem to have seen her being with a boy in the middle of the night….yet. A single glance at that moment could have potentially got her a huge trouble to deal with.

Not to mention, she was still in her pajama. If anything, she preferred not to appear in front of the dragon princess and a certain fox-type housewifewhen her choice of wardrobe's always play an important role in stimulating their "feeling" toward her.

For now, she just needed to find a spot to hide from Kiyohime's sight.

 **Gggrrrrr!**

"….!"

She was hungry as hell just like the spiky haired boy, but that has to be for later.

…endured it, me.

"Damn you, stomach." Kamijou grunted.

…ah, so that growling came from him.

Yes, and it was also the sound of misfortune catching up to both of you.

"I heard something." The sweet voice echoed once more, apparently closer than ever."Master~, you are over there, aren't you?"

Fujimaru made a full stop, pulling Kamijou's sleeve to signal him to make a turn at a corner near there. While not having the slightest clue of the approaching threat, which was even deadlier than that one time when he was tricked to feed **Leivinia Birdway** in front of every girls in Necessarius dormitory, Kamijou didn't pay any mind to question anything and quickly followed the girl's instruction. Plus, his precognitive sense was tingling all over his body.

Just by watching the paled expression on her face, Kamijou understood one thing.

"I feel like I just got myself involved with something dangerous, such misfortune."

"Shhh~." Fujimaru raised a finger to her lip."Please be quiet while you're in hiding, Kamijou-san."

The girl gently pushed his back and helped him fitted into a small gap in between two large plant pots….something didn't sound right.

"You do know that this is not a hiding spot."

The covers on either side of his were only about half of his height. Looking from several angles, Kamijou stood out like a false decoration, he will definitely be seen if someone walked by.

"Of course, I know. There are better places than this."

"?"

Fujimaru stretched her arm through the space next to him, she touched something invisible to the naked eyes on the wall. Kamijou briefly turned his head a little to look back, he saw her small hand pressing against a panel paint in the same bright color as the wall.

Some sort of mechanism was activated, the wall behind him began to move. A secret entrance revealed when the girl pushed the wall further in, the whole thing was a camouflage.

"This is where we are going to hide. Now hurry, Kamijou-san!" Fujimaru rushed him while those gentle steps resounded in the dark hallway became louder.

Kamijou quickly squeezed himself through the tiny passage, Fujimaru waited until he reached the other side of the entrance so she could went in. Since she had a rather gracefully thin build for a high school girl, it didn't take much time for Fujimaru to make it before Kiyohime appeared at the intersection with the entire view of the corridor entered her sight.

Without leaking noise, the secret entrance automatically closed back.

…

…

"…it's so narrowed in here."

"It's only a straight path."

"But it's too dark, I can't see anything."

The spiky haired boy was having difficulty moving around in that pitch black place.

"Kyah! Kamijou-san, don't turn around and wave your hands in front so sudden like that!"

"Eh? I'm moving backward? Fujimaru-san, you're in front of me?...hang on, what is this soft feeling in my palm?"

"….."

There was a pause, a very, very long pause.

"This shape, and this warm sensation…..ah, is this…is this what I think it is?" Kamijou paled, he had an idea he was putting his hand to some places he wasn't supposed to touch.

"K-Kamijou-san, stop….wah! Stop moving your hand! It's tickle!" Fujimaru's voice was trembling."That's my b-belly!"

"Wha-I'm sorry!"

"W-wait! Don't pull back your arm in such a forceful way! You're pulling off my shirt!" Added in a big gasped."W-where do you think you're touching?!"

Seriously, how did that happen?

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to! Kamijou-san is completely blinded in here!"

The boy tried to back away, squeezing his back against the opposite wall so he can finally make out the outline of the secret path. He slowly took each steps to the side like how a crag would move on its six legs as he traced the wall.

There was still no side of any light source and considering Chaldea was built on top of a snowy mountain, where temperature is always below zero, the place was incredibly chilling yet not that much airy. The entrance behind them must have been so well sealed off that it didn't leave any gap for even the smallest amount of cool air to ventilate through.

"Be careful with your steps up ahead, there's a small stairway leading down."

"G-got it."

Seemed to have calming down from the little accident, Fujimaru warned the boy. Her tone was a bit softer than before but there was still a hint of caution.

Probably because she knew Kiyohime was searching for her just right outside the corridor behind her.

…..

…..

Meanwhile, in the said corridor….

"….*sniff*….*sniff*…."

Kiyohime was staring directly at the concealed entrance of the hidden passageway, which the two ordinary boy and girl have just went in.

"This sweet, delicate and pleasant fragrance of Master lead to here." With the fan unfolded and covered her lip, the dragon princess slightly titled her head, thinking."Hm~, the trail stopped at this spot. I wonder where else could my dear husband has possibly gone to."

That's B rank Stalking for you, very impressive.

Kiyohime turned her heel, changing direction and proceeding to continue the tenacious search for her beloved auburn haired Master.

Fujimaru was right, that was a very close on-

 **Bump!**

Halting her movement, the dragon princess slowly turned around with her eyes sharpened.

…..just now….

She heard a sound….

…

…

Kamijou's eyebrows twitched.

He wasn't sure if he missed his step and fell on his face or the world has just turned upside-down by itself, everything was still pitch black but the tingling pain ran all over his body could hardly be mistaken.

….that hurt….

Quite a roughed landing he had.

"…..a-are you alright?" Fujimaru rushed to his side, her expression filled with worry.

Despite her warning from earlier, he still managed to slip his foot like an idiot and rolled down the stair. That was quite embarrassing.

The spiky haired boy awkwardly lifted his head up to look at her, waving his hand back and forth as a sign of telling her not to worry about him.

"You fell pretty hard, you know." Said the girl as she looked back at the stairway consisted of only a few steps."This whole passage has been hid away and stayed this way for years so there might be dirt built up around the place. Lucky for you, the stair is not that high."

"…lucky, huh." The boy forced a dried smile."You don't say."

Regardless of whether there was dirt or not, Kamijou would definitely still fall down. That was how misfortune worked for him, always picking the most random yet expected chance to deliver a blow to his face and it was irritating since he could foresee it sometime but could never dodge at the right moment.

To him, being lucky is just a luxury dream, a warning to be ready for something extremely bad will happen.

"Don't say that, you shouldn't be so pessimistic." Fujimaru offered him a hand to help pulling him back up."Anyway, can you get up?"

"Thanks." Kamijou extended his right hand in respond to the kind gesture."But believe me, out of six billion people in the world, I'm the only one with the worst luck. Misfortune grabs my neck whenever it wants, wherever it likes. By the way, where are you, Fujimaru-san?"

"I'm right at your side." The girl sweat dropped, she was this close to him and he still couldn't recognize her.

"…..my side? Hang on, my eyes is starting to get used to this dark. Ah, I can see your silhouette now." He moved his hand and grabbed her."…..hm? Fujimaru-san….."

"….." For some reason, she didn't respond.

"I've never really paid attention before and maybe because my eyes can't see that my other senses are getting more sensitive." Said Kamijou, slightly surprised as he can feel the tender, soft touch from Fujimaru."Is this really what it feels like to hold a girl's hand?"

He didn't mean it in a bad way, it was just not to his imagination, the sensation he felt in his hand was rather unique.

"It's unexpectedly soft and….kind of squishy like marshmallow."

Do you really have to put it that way, Kamijou?

A few seconds passed and the boy has no idea why the other person hasn't said anything.

The darkness became clear in Kamijou. By now, he can point out which direction was the stair he fell down and which lead him straight to some unknown place. In addition, Fujimaru's full body was slowly visible in his vision, human's eyes sure worked wonder in the dark.

"Fujimaru-san?" Kamijou was glad that he can see her now that his eyes has gotten used to the blackness."…..ah….."

But immediately, he started having second thought as cold sweats broke down his face. Fujimaru, on the other hand, has her face turned scarlet in pure embarrassment while slowly raising the fist.

So that explained why the sensation running in his hand felt so unique, it was not her hand that he grasped at.

"What is wrong with this situation? Now the rom-com god decides to mess with me?" Muttered the spiky haired boy to himself in a low voice as he closed his eyes."Such misfor-guffh!"

Didn't get to finish his catchphrase, Kamijou earned a slap in the face.

…..

…..

"Mikonnnn!"

At the same time…..

While half-asleep, a certain fox shrine maiden jumped up with a startle in her own bed, fluffy ears straightened up like a radar detector. Her beautiful expression sunk in horror as if she had a bad dream.

"Tamamo's good wife instinct is tingling! Something indecent happened to my goshujin-sama!" **Tamamo no Mae** said out loud as she ran out the room, heading straight to her Master's."Wait for me, goshujin-sama! I'm coming to you right away!"

It was unclear of how the situation suddenly developed into this.

Either way, the spiky haired boy's chance of meeting his impending doom has increased.

…

…

There were a few more stairways leading down below, Kamijou and Fujimaru kept on moving their feet in the dark. The girl was a distance ahead of the boy, like an invisible wall built up and separating them, the two have not said anything to each other for the past minutes.

"….."

"…"

The suffocating silence wrapped the chilly atmosphere.

"…"

"…"

So awkward.

"Uhm, where does this hidden path leads us to?"

The girl didn't return him an answer, she kept looking away and quietly tracing the path along the wall. Kamijou couldn't help but apologizing her in his mind and not saying it out loud, perhaps starting anymore conversation wouldn't make Fujimaru change her impression toward him.

Rubbing the hand mark on his red cheek, Kamijou let out a small sigh. His misfortune caused him another accident but it was not like he couldn't just blame everything on it. This time, it was due to his idiocy and carelessness that Fujimaru got mad at him.

At the moment, he was pretty sure she got the impression of him as a pervert. Thinking about that, Kamijou felt like he wants to cry for a bit. Why was this happening to him?

They reached to another stairway, Kamijou began to focus on taking his steps steadily while he looked down. As the spiky haired boy was busy trying not to make another silly slip up, there were the brief glances the auburn haired girl sent toward him.

…..this person, I don't get him.

Fujimaru was confused about lots of things, mostly the new recruited member of Chaldea who was right behind her.

…..he's so clumsy and somewhat clueless at the same time, I wonder if he is feeling nervous for being in this place.

It hasn't even been a full hour since they've first met, those thoughts were just a temporary personal's opinion. Fujimaru briefly turned her head a little to take a sneak peek of the view of Kamijou's half focusing and half depressing face from the corner of her eyes. When the red hand mark burned into his cheeks can be seen, the auburn haired girl unknowingly let the same color rose on hers, though slightly faint.

To an extent, Fujimaru actually felt bad.

…I know he didn't mean to…..

Despite knowing he has no intention of taking advantage in the dark to shamelessly haras-….touch a maiden's skin, in the spur of the moment and out of surprise, embarrassment she still gave him a slap across the cheek. All this time, she remained quiet because she didn't know what other things she could say to him after that little accident.

What a strange occurrence this was.

Right now, she hoped the boy didn't feel hurt or think horrible of himself, which technically he was doing so. This could badly affect their colleague relationship at work and create a distance between the two. Fujimaru didn't want that, if that happened, it would be quite uncomfortable for both of them.

Kamijou was sincere and without a doubt, Fujimaru has no problem in believing that to be the truth.

….maybe…..I should say something to him.

As it turned out, it seemed she didn't harbor any resentment toward him for what he has just done.

"Kamijou-san."

"…..I'm very sorry for groping you." The spiky haired boy instantly apologized in a guilty tone.

The girl sweat dropped, might as well rephrasing her thought then. He was being way too blunt!

"…..I…I'm not mad at you, alright?" Seeing his gloomy face brightened up a lot thanks to those words, Fujimaru suddenly has this mysterious urge swelling up inside her. The young Chaldea Master couldn't help letting out a chuckle while she looked away."Were you afraid I would get mad and hate you? You're worrying too much. It's okay, like I said, I'm not mad."

"Really? Well, that's a relief." Kamijou smiled in return, scratching the back of his head, slightly flustered."But even if you told to me to forget about it, I figure I would still need to give you a proper apology. It's my fault for being careless after all, anyway, thanks for understanding this Kamijou-san."

"It's kind of cute, though."

"?"

"You were really nervous when I stayed quiet the whole time, weren't you? It showed all on you face, you're so earnest, Kamijou-san." Fujimaru made a small smile, clasping her hand together as she cutely tilted her head a little to the side."This maybe out of nowhere but I'm sorry, too. It's partly my fault that you fell, I led you here so it should have been my responsibility to be ahead of you and lead the way."

"What? No, it's not Fujimaru-san's fault." Kamijou waved both hands in denial."If anything to blame, it would be my rotten luck."

And there was this, he brought up his bad luck again. Fujimaru was not sure if that could work as an excuse to cover for his clumsiness, but from the way he often uses it, it must has already been a part of his characteristic. Surprisingly, she didn't mind about it, not a single bit.

"Let's forget all about it then."

"Agree."

The two looked at each other, they started smiling as they felt refreshed after talking it all out. The girl realized she was fast to get along really well with the boy in such a short amount of time.

Her first impression about him began to shift, changing as she came to learn a few new aspects of Kamijou. How mysterious, this impulse she was feeling right now, the more she talked to him, the more she wanted to get to know more about him.

What an interesting fellow she has made acquaintance with, Fujimaru thought.

"Ne, Kamijou-san, can I ask you something?"

Kamijou nodded.

"You've been mentioning about bad luck quite a few times. Does it happens a lot in your life? You don't seem like someone who tends to get involved in accident…..to me."

The boy raised his eyebrows at her words, then he stayed silent in the next few seconds as if he was letting those words circulate in his head. For a moment, Fujimaru saw him shifted his gaze to his right hand. It made her curious, was there a special reason for him to do that?

"It's a life-time curse…my misfortune."

"Eh?" Fujimaru's eyes widened.

….a curse?

"To be honest, I know you are thinking I'm clumsy and you're worrying about it."

The girl froze, she didn't see that coming. Were those emotions leaked on her expression?

"Well, you're not wrong to see me that way, I mean everyone looks at me the same way you do, all kind of bad lucks happen to me. I usually find myself got thrown into a lot of troubles regardless of where I stand, a lot of incidents, no matter how small or big of a scale. Falling down the stairs, being hit by a baseball right in the head, gaining unnecessary fatigues every day, having memories lost, more and more and it never ends. All because of my rotten luck, because of…." Kamijou looked down at his opened right palm."…them."

"You….must have had a roughed life."

"Yeah, before I was sent to Academy City and even now, I've already got used to it. I may complain from time to time but that's just that. Getting beating up around the place all the time slowly makes you deadened to the suffering."

The way he stated those words, they sounded so much nonchalant that it hurt.

"Kamijou-san, are you really all right with that?"

"It became a pattern, you know. It's not like I can do anything about it." Knowing Fujimaru would retort back, Kamijou held up a hand to stop her before the girl could say a word."Although I said all of that, it goes the same with how I deal with Index and my wallet. The most important thing remains from all that suffering I have to endure is that I can still keep doing what I always do. Just because I let misfortune has the freedom to mess with my life doesn't mean I would back down. That's why the last time when we were in the hallway, I told you I can handle everything trouble throws at me, I wasn't joking."

Fujimaru remembered, he did say something like that along the line.

 **Gggrrrrrrrrrr!**

…..right, he said he faces them like eating breakfast.

Just now, they were having a serious conversation. What a way to remind herself about their current situation.

Face blushing, Fujimaru quickly covered her stomach, she forgot the hunger was still there. The girl took a glance at Kamijou, the growling was loud and he probably heard it. As soon as her gaze met his, he turned to the side, scratching his cheek with a finger and saying nothing.

It's too obvious, isn't it? The old cliché cover up tactic won't work anymore.

"Kamijou-san." The girl called his name in a low voice, twirling the end tip of her side ponytail. She wished if this shame would just go away."C-can you p-please keep this a secret between us?"

The Servants wouldn't be pleased if they knew Fujimaru let herself to be starving this much.

"Kamijou-san didn't hear anything." Such cliché of a line will only bring more awkwardness to her if he said that. Instead, Kamijou slightly moved his head to look at her and gave a satisfied answer."I won't tell a soul. Why don't we keep moving?"

As he said, Fujimaru realized they have stopped moving, she didn't really pay any attention as she were so caught up in the conversation of their little story until now.

"R-right, we waste enough time in this place, there's still a long way for us to reach that place."

"That place….." Kamijou pointed at something behind her."You mean what behind that wall up ahead?"

Having no idea what the boy meant, Fujimaru turned around and met a plain wall. The hidden path lead them to a dead end, or it seemed that way.

…..eh?

The auburn haired girl stood there in dumbfounded.

"We're already here?"

It was right in front of her, this was where they should be to continue hiding from Kiyohime. However, the passageway was supposedly longer than that since it leads them deep to the underground floor of Chaldea.

"You sound unsure." Said the boy as he raised an eyebrow."Is something wrong? Are we at a dead end?"

Never mind the questions, Fujimaru to spin her head around so fast the scrunchie loosely fastening her side ponytail nearly flew off her hair to look at the boy.

"How long?" She asked him."How long exactly have we been standing in front of this entrance?"

"While you were…" Kamijou paused for a second as if the next line of words was hard to speak."…..giving me what I thought were the hateful looks. It was around that time, we reached here."

Fujimaru blinked. That would mean…

…he knew I was glancing at him the whole time?!

Unexpected, coming from Kamijou, he actually aware of the stares Fujimaru directed at him yet failed to make them go unnoticed.

"Y-you should have said something."

"Sorry, I didn't want to upset you more than what I did so I stayed quiet. By the way, what were those brief glances for anyway?"

What kind of question was that?! Did he really need to ask that?!

"W-well, I wonder…" Fujimaru looked away so she could hide her rosy face. The young Master proceeded to open the path as she pressed her hand on the wall with another invisible hologram appeared.

"Also…" Kamijou continued.

"?"

"I saw your cheek turned red. Was there something weird on my face?"

"Guh!" This was the sound of somebody being cornered.

Fujimaru couldn't understand him, apart from how he treated his roommate with the pudding, this level of honesty was ridiculous! He didn't spend a moment to spare her. What else could he interpret from her gaze? Shouldn't it be enough that he already knew she wasn't angry at him?

…he…he cornered me without mercy! Is he doing this on purpose?!

The girl started panicking…..wait, why did she feel panic about this? Calm down, she was just curious about him and nothing more, nothing less.

It's common for wanting to get to know more about your colleagues, isn't that right? It was just her curiosity.

But why would he want to know that much by constantly bombarding her with questions like that? Up till now, he kept making her blushed for nothing…...ah yes, minus the last incident.

…could it be…..

An idea struck her, could it possibly be that the spiky haired boy was seeking the opportunity to exploit her every aspects?

….I see, that is what they call love at first sight, isn't it? H-how bold! Even though I just rejected him a while ago, he still felt that way toward me?!

Wrong, that is what they call dense and it only applies to him. Fujimaru, don't go so far away from the truth! The Servants won't be amused about this!

….t-this is just like how **Semiramis** usually acts when she's along with **Amakusa-san**. Such aggression!

That was a totally different conception and it was definitely not relevant to this case.

…w-w-what do I do? I've never been in this kind of situation before!

Fujimaru found herself in a state of trouble, she finally drown by the misunderstanding that both her and that dense boy have created. At this rate, their new established relationship, which was only less than half a day old, might even reach maximum faster than the usual bonding with Servants.

Is this how fate work? If it does, it is indeed a very strange one.

…this isn't good, how should I answer him? But we're still hiding from Kiyohime…no, I shouldn't ignore his feeling, that would be rude of me…..but….but…..consider…but…reject again…..hauuu…..!

"Fu-Fujimaru-san, are you alright?"

Kamijou asked out of worry as he watched smoke broke out from Fujimaru's ear, both hands clutching the head as if the content inside was spinning along with those conflicted thoughts in her mind.

"Kamijou-san!" She suddenly shouted his name.

"Y-yes!" He startled.

"For you question, there was nothing! It's just….it's just that this is the first tin…" Stuttered, her face reddened even more."…..the first time someone has been this up front to me. It….it's still too soon for me to give you an answer right away so please until then, let's just stay like this and keep your feeling in moderation! As I said before, I'm happy but I need some more time to think this thoroughly!"

The spiky haired boy was stunned by the outburst.

"That's all, let's get going!" Fujimaru's voice was still shaking.

The wall moved, it opened and made a path for Fujimaru to immediately rush through it without saying another word. On the other hand, Kamijou just stood there in confusion, a question mark danced on top of his hair.

…

…

….hm? A secret path?

Kiyohime was slightly surprised when the wall began to shift, revealing a passage shrouded by darkness. As she could feel Fujimaru's scent lingering around this particular spot, she traced her small hand on the wall and touched the invisible hologram by accident.

Well, this was not a good sigh.

The dragon princess was ready to step in, but before she did, another Servant arrived at the scene.

"Goshujin-sama is not in her room. Where else could she have gone to in the middle of the night?"

It was her love rival, Tamamo no Mae. The fox shrine maiden who was a dependable housewife was wandering around Chaldea in search for the very same person as the dragon princess.

The timing couldn't be any more perfect. Once their eyes made contact, the temperature in the hallway went up a few degrees.

"Kiyohime-chan."

"Tamamo-san."

Something burned, the snow lingering on the outside window began to melt by the intense heat that only those who understood the unshakable rivalry between these two can see.

"What are you doing out here so late at night?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

Their tone of voices was showing a friendly respect but the sparks shooting out from their eyes, fiercer than that of a thunderstorm. If they were real, Chaldea would have had many large scale blackouts.

"Have you seen goshujin-sama? She is not in her room."

"Ara~, why are you looking for Master at this hour, Tamamo-san? The battle of love between Master's Servants should be fair, you know."

"Of course, Tamamo won't go as far as to sneak up to her goshujin-sama's bed in the middle of a night…unless there's some stress need to be relieved." That was some seriously dangerous whisper at the end."But more importantly that was not the point why I'm looking for her."

"?"

"I sensed something indecent happened to her, my instinct is never wrong."

"Is that so?" Kiyohime waved her small hand at Tamamo, telling her to come closer. Seeing the hidden path, the fox shrine maiden's ears rose up in interest at the new discovery."Master might be down there."

"And how do you know?"

"A true wife knows all about her darling." She smiled whole-heartedly as the smile was hid behind the folding fan."Don't you agree?"

Tamamo just nodded, didn't really care much about the hint of superior mixed in her friend's tone. In the beginning, they both shared the same ideal of being more than just a Servant to support the young girl named Fujimaru Ritsuka. The time they spent with her, the bonding, everything around their relationships with the Master was of equal. Looking from a standpoint of view, the one who makes the move first will have more chances to claim Fujimaru for themselves.

"I see, I see. Then, if you excuse me, I'll be going down there to help my goshujin-sama, she is in trouble."

Tamamo was about to go through the entrance but an arm held out in her way to stop her movement.

"Let's not be hasty, I found this hidden path, I should have the privilege to go in first. By the way, just now, you said something indecent happened to Master, didn't you?" Getting another nod from Tamamo, Kiyohime came to a conclusion."Then this proves that Master is truly with someone else at this moment. My, my~."

Out of nowhere, a prominent aura of blue flame surrounded Kiyohime's slim figure as her eyes darkened.

" **No wonder I heard another distinct voice aside from Master's."**

She found out, she actually heard Kamijou's voice a while back.

Thus, that can only mean one thing.

For the couple of ordinary persons who were deep beneath those stairs, doom was coming.

…..

…..

…oh hell, cold!

A sense of chilling hit every single fiber in Kamijou's body.

The spiky haired boy couldn't explain why, either the place he just entered was a cold storage or the air-conditioner in here has not operating for a long time.

…..or something really bad is about to kick me in the butt.

He shook his head, trying to discard the bad feeling that his precognitive sense has predicted and went on.

They were in a spacious room, as his vision has gotten used to the darkness he could see the layout of the entire place. On the opposite, far side of where he stood, a big broken glass window presented. It connected to a chamber, with stairways leading up to some other hallways. The sight reminded him of the big, luxury front hall of Tokiwadai Middle School, this room was built almost in the exact same size as that place.

However, on the contrary to what he has seen up there, what laid before his eyes seemed to be in a pretty bad shape for some reason. The place appeared forgotten with all the electric wires hang down and dirt filled the wall. As if an explosion started right here, there were many holes above the celling, the concretes, which scattered under his feet, must have been the result of its collapse.

At the center of the room he was in, an object was put here. It stretched long, giving enough space for a person to lie down on it.

…..an operating table?

That was the first idea came to mind as Kamijou approached it.

"What is this place?" He raised the question as he looked around, stepping over some of the rubbles laying on the ground.

"An underground facility, it was used for carrying out experiments when Chaldea was still in its early years, you can see the remains of medical equipment and some old tech here and there. As for the hidden passages, there are a few more which connects to this chamber. I guess they were built for the sake of precaution, in case the experiments go wrong." Fujimaru explained as she carefully hopped over the broken window."I found this place by coincidence when I was taking a break from the missions, no one knows I've been here. Perhaps, maybe the current staffs don't even aware that such a place like this exists below the main headquarter, seeing how much dirt built up, it has been abandoned for many years."

Kamijou made little effort to jump over the same thing. However, unlike the auburn haired girl, he lost balance the moment his foot touched the ground. A couple of sheets flew up the air as the painful sound echoed, those papers were right there where he landed his step on.

"A-are you alright?" The kind girl helped him get up."How did that happen?"

"….." Kamijou has no comment, like usual, bad lucks has become rather active nowadays.

All source of lights were cut off, what was left of the place was an old, empty atmosphere haunting every corner of it. Kamijou took a moment to scan his surroundings, several shelves can be seen falling over and its content spilled over the floor.

There were books written in many languages, some were burned in half, some were still intact.

There were also papers with strange characters printed on it spread on the ground like many things else.

…this is…..

Kamijou picked up a random sheet, the image drew on it was a pentagram with symbols linked to each joint on the outside ring. He has to raise an eyebrow while looking at it, after all, he recognized it too well.

"Magic." The answer was easy to guess.

"Yeah, I thought so, too." Fujimaru turned her gaze to him once he spoke."Everything here must had served the purpose of studying **Magecraft** and **Summoning Ritual** but without normal convention."

The spiky haired boy gave his companion a blank look.

Magecraft? Summoning Ritual? Those terms made it sounded like the people, who had been here, tried to invoke something freaky through dark sorcery.

Well, the idea he had in mind was not necessarily wrong, at least the original concept was there.

But hold on….

The boy linked everything he heard and saw altogether, the tech, the operating table, the experiments Fujimaru mentioned about and then this. Somehow, Kamijou got the feeling the thing he is seeing right now was mind blowing.

"Fujimaru-san, this is a science lab, right?" Kamijou hoped he didn't hear her wrong, he needed to check this again.

"Uhm." She nodded.

"And this is magic?" He pointed at the sheet.

"That's right."

"Are you telling me Science is studying Magic?"

"Kamijou-san, are these knowledge new to you?" Fujimaru struck the right spot.

"This is the first time I've ever heard Science is working with Magic. Aren't they contradict to each other?"

"It's hard to believe, isn't it? Still, this place is the proof of that. Science is indeed using Magic for research and for other means, it has been going on like that for centuries." The girl giggled gently, as if she found a pleasant nostalgia from Kamijou's reaction."You really are the same as me, huh. Don't worry, I'm sure you will get used to these kind of stuff soon enough."

Kamijou got a little confused.

Yeah, they were the same.

Yet, funny, the stuff they were talking about was different in both meaning and subject.

To Fujimaru, it was simply about the abilities to bring about what is possible through science with supernatural means, the artificial reenactment of a miracle which is the ultimate goal to break the "boundary" that prevents mankind from achieving True Magic and Sorcery.

To Kamijou, however, it was an entirely separate topic. The meaning of magic and science he understood here were about the two most important and biggest factions of his world, Magic Side and Science Side along with the affair between them.

In other word…..

…Science uses Magic technique for experimenting?

That was exactly what he thought of, it would be a violation against the Magic-Science Treaty. And he has yet to include the sort of experiments happened right in this place many years ago as Fujimaru told him. With the materials left behind, he doubt what they did was a good thing.

Just by looking at the operating table back in that room, a little imagination would be enough to tell him what kind of gruesome stuffs were performed on who knows how many person who laid there…..or maybe he was beginning to get somewhat paranoid about all of this.

Remind you, he is still hungry and he's on the run with Fujimaru.

Then again, the most crucial fact here was that this is a word where the two opposite forces coexisted, the idea of such was simply impossible.

Because it was impossible, a realization struck him.

This was not the world he lived in.

"…what kind of dimension did they throw me in?" Muttered the boy as he casted down his troubling gaze on his right hand.

Feeling he stumbled upon a difficult puzzle and a very headache one at that, Kamijou let go of the paper. A small sigh escaped his mouth as his face turned pale.

Not only just misfortune, this time, fate has also got him good.

…

…...

…let's see, the next hidden route we should take is in one of the rooms on the upper hallway. It's not the closest path to the cafeteria, but we should be able to avoid Kiyohime for a while….guh, my stomach is rumbling again.

Fujimaru hugged her tummy while the unpleasant sensation forced her to notice the emptiness it endured, she and the boy really need to hurry.

"Kamijou-san, this way."

The girl called out to him and went up to the next floor. For a while, there was no respond sent back from Kamijou so she looked over her shoulder to check on him. He was still there, right behind her. Noticing her gaze, he looked at her as if asking something was the matter, Fujimaru gave him a shake of her head and that was all.

The next few minutes was awfully quiet as silence filled the cold air.

They reached another room, the place has yet to fall into the same fate as the stuff outside. From the amount of flasks and strange materials, chemicals stored in the cabinets in that room, it can be said that this was formerly a chemistry lab. There were some bottles and flasks taken out, most of them has been reduced to pieces of glass, unusable.

One of many hidden paths lied beyond the plain decaying wall was located at the back of this lab. Fujimaru approached the wall, gently pressed her hand against the solid surface like how she did last time.

"….."

Waiting…

"….."

How strange, nothing happened.

….hm? I'm pretty sure the control is around this part of the wall.

The auburn haired girl moved her arm left right, up and down. Eventually, a hidden hologram turned visible in front of her for a couple of seconds before it became blurry and disappeared.

Something was wrong.

…..eh? A malfunction?

Fujimaru tried to interact with the invisible board again a few more time, yet its behavior was the same. Each time it came back on, the hologram always disappears in less than the amount of time the girl needed to activate the secret passage properly.

….it's gone!

The hologram disappeared for good.

Fujimaru did not see this turn of event coming, it wasn't like this the last time she came here. The girl couldn't do nothing more than let out a tired sigh.

….change of plan then.

It can't be helped, they should pick another route and then proceed to the cafeteria via there.

"Kamijou-san, let's go to the next room, this one seems to stop working." She turned to the spiky haired boy, his back was facing her.

For some reason, Kamijou didn't pay any attention to her calling, he stood idling near a broken chemistry tray, staring down at his right hand while doing something she could hardly comprehend. Only when Fujimaru decided to come close in an attempt to pull back his attention to their current goal that her eyes became wide in bewilderment.

Kamijou was holding a piece of shattered glass as he pointed the sharp tip to the palm of his right hand.

…what is he doing?!

"Nope, I don't like this." All of sudden, that boy dropped the object as if changing his mind, muttering under his breath."There's probably a better way….ah, Fujimaru-san, were you saying?"

Immediately, by reflex, she grabbed his left hand and take a close inspection, which surprised the boy. Several tiny cuts can be seen on the fingers, he must had hold that piece of broken glass very firm.

"Just now, what were you doing?" Fujimaru questioned him, a slight hint of sternness showed in her voice.

"I was…" He trailed off in mid-sentence, looking away while sweat dropped. Maybe it was in the spur of the moment that he felt a little bit shock of what he has just discovered for himself."Trying to fix the mess misfortune is causing to me, but since that could be a bad idea, I put it off."

…..fix? Seems to me he was about to cut his hand…..

"Kamijou-san, misfortune or not, whatever you do, don't do anything that will end up hurting yourself in the progress." She looked back at the cuts on his hand."People around you will get worried, including me, you know."

Those caring words, hearing them brought a thin smile on Kamijou's face. Truthfully, back in his own world, those he has met also said the same thing to him, they all seemed to share a common trait. Even in this foreign world, that trait still showed itself in front of him.

"By the way, your hand is cold." Now holding his hands, Fujimaru steadily moved it closer to her face. Kamijou has no idea what she was doing."To be honest, I'm starting to feel freezing in here, too. We should get back up there as soon as possible, but before that….."

The auburn haired girl closed her eyes.

The next instance, a heavenly soft warmth caressed his hand.

From that lip of her, which stained the pigment of light rose, a gentle breath came out, mixing into the air that enveloped his entire palm, tenderly breaking the icy sensation lingered on the skin.

It was just a single gesture, a simple action to help a person gain back the lukewarm feeling in the cold environment.

Yet, the damage was tremendously high.

"There…." The girl shifted her gaze to his face as she put on a tiny smile."Do you feel warm?"

At this point, Kamijou's whole expression went red, cheeks feeling hot as if he lost himself in the high heat of a sauna bathroom.

"Oh, your face turns red. Are you perhaps embarrassed by this?" She giggled, a hand cover her mouth."Kamijou-san is so cute."

The tide has turned, Fujimaru finally took the change to be on the offensive. She won't let that boy keep making her blushing like a girl with a heavy crush. That's right, it's payback time! A girl can make a boy feel the heart pounding embarrassment, too!

…...I'm getting you back for making my heart thumping twice!

Still, what happened was due to his nature, you know. Nobody can't blame him.

In all honesty, Fujimaru has to admit his embarrassed face was such an amusing sight to watch. Furthermore, for the mysterious emotion that began to swell up inside her once more as she saw that face, she couldn't stop it from overwhelming her line of thought, it made her want to tease him even more.

This fact has been proven by Shokuhou Misaki.

"Would you like me to warm up the other hand?" Letting go of his hand, Fujimaru went with another attack while she walked past him."We can do it while moving to the next hidden passageway."

"….." Kamijou couldn't get a word out of his mouth, he was still taking damage from the previous move.

"I'll take that silence is a yes then." The girl cheerfully spun around, teasing this person sure was fun."Come on, show me…your…"

However, that fun abruptly came to an end.

On his right arm, behind the elbow, she saw an open wound, a laceration with blood bled out and led a long trail along his forearm, already dried.

"Kamijou-san, what happened to your arm?!" Fujimaru felt pain and shocked at the same time just by looking at it."How did you have such a deep cut?!"

Her loud voice was enough to snap Kamijou's consciousness back to reality. He gave a look at the wound on his right elbow for a moment.

"Ah, this. I don't know, maybe I got it from the broken shards on that window from earlier, I must have accidentally grazed my arm against those sharp things when I trip over."

As gently as she could, Fujimaru carefully held his arm to examine the wound. The girl intent to handle it by using a healing spell, however, the spiky haired boy retracted his arm from her grasp, reassuring the girl that she didn't have to worry about this.

"Fujimaru-san, it's just a minor wound." He sounded uncared, almost like he has already gotten used to these kind of injury."Give it a couple of days and it'll be fine."

Minor? He called that a minor wound?

Did that mean he didn't even feel hurt nor aware of it this entire time? Such absurd endurance this boy has.

"No, it's not fine, Kamijou-san." Despite his words, the girl grabbed his arm again."We're working at one of the coldest places on Earth, the healing process will take more time to close the wound. Not only that, your wound will get infected if you neglect it so hold still now."

A basic knowledge in medical, one of the experiences Fujimaru learned back from her days resting in the infirmary, when she received injuries in the midst of battles from high difficulty missions. The auburn haired girl never thought listening to **Nightingale** 's medical advices during her treatment would be so helpful at a moment like this.

"Since the bleeding has already stopped, I'll just cast First Aid to temporarily heal the wound first then we can go to the infirmary to disinfect it later." Fujimaru began closing her eyes, concentrating the source of mana flowing in her body.

"….cast? You're going to use magic? Fujimaru-san, it is on my right arm, I don't think you shoul-"

The girl tightened her grip further as Kamijou tried to move his arm.

"Please don't move, I'm not wearing any Mystic Code so it's going to be a little bit difficult to channel the spell. Without those uniforms, it will take minutes rather than a few seconds for it to be fully activated."

By wearing the supportive artifacts named Mystic Code, her connection to the source of magical energy resided within her was strengthened and easy to control. If not, she was still only a newbie when it came to using magic.

"No, no, seriously, I d-don't recommend doing that." Kamijou insisted."Y-you don't have to waste your energy on my wound, it's not worth it."

"I'll get angry at you for real if you keep saying stuff like that." The girl won't listen.

Having no choice, Kamijou hang his head in defeat and remained silence as Fujimaru continued to focus on casting the spell, no more words were spoken.

…this stubborn side of him, I wonder if he has ever rejected others' cares toward him.

There was a big wound on his arm and yet he kept denying her help. As his fellow colleague, there was no way she could oblige and leave him like that, she was genuinely worried about that boy.

An emerald light emitted from Fujimaru's both hands, it was dim and flickered weakly as it depicted the true nature of her talent as a Magus, a total amateur and a normal human. Fujimaru was not sure if the healing spell could work a hundred percent, at the very least she can make it less painful for him before they asks Nightingale to take care of his wound.

…not enough…..

The girl frowned, forcing herself to channel more magical energy. The shining emerald light began to shine all over the room, it spread through the air, coming toward the deep cut on that boy's right arm.

Right at that moment, a dull sound of breaking glass echoed throughout the chamber, the flow of healing magic was instantly rejected and vanished without a trace.

"….eh….?" The girl widened her eyes in pure shock as she watched the remaining effect of the spell faded away while darkness returned to claim her and his personal space.

Something happened.

Something negated her spell.

Something completely wiped off the source of magical energy she built up to use.

Fujimaru blinked a few time as she tried to progress this sudden event into her mind. With no other logical explanation, she shook her head, discarding those ideas away.

No, nothing strange has occurred, that was just her not casting the spell properly. Just as her shishou, **Scáthach** , always says, she still has much to learn.

The young Master of Chaldea retried, gathering mana for her next casting.

The sound of broken glass once again repeated.

…again….my skill doesn't work again?!

Confused, Fujimaru shifted her view to Kamijou's face. What she saw on his expression was simply a dried smile.

"Kamijou-san…you-"

Suddenly, the ground shook.

Fujimaru's voice lost within a loud noise of an explosion. At the secret entrance where they entered the chamber, a blast roared, hitting their ears as it blew everything away in the spacious hall, most of what were broken and old for many years now in ruined, the place became a mess.

The two ordinary person quickly stuck their heads out of the chemistry lab window to see what caused the explosion.

Kamijou raised an eyebrow in wonder while his caution also rose up in preparation for any inevitable circumstance. As for the girl, however, unlike the spiky haired boy, she was having a completely different reaction.

Fujimaru was shocked, her skin started turning paled when the answer to their question soon revealed itself.

It came in the form of two silhouettes appeared inside the foggy layer of smoke that covered the whole place.

Doom has arrived.

….

….

"Kiyohime-chan, no one open a secret door with brute force, it is unnecessary, you know." Tamamo stepped out from the smoke, dusting off any dirt lingered on her clothes."Those things are like a puzzle, there's always a hint hidden somewhere waiting for you to find it. Similar to the way you spend nights and days figuring out how to dig a path into goshujin-sama's heart, solving the puzzle means you struck on the right spot. It's only the matter of time before the entrance opens to let you pass or in my example, goshujin-sama's willing to let you embrace her passionately!"

"Tamamo-san, I appreciate the profound comparison but the path which led us to here is likely a hidden route, no one will find out about these damages." Said the dragon princess as she folded back the fan in her hand."Anyhow, let's put that matter aside. Just now, you sensed it too, didn't you?"

"Of course, it was faint. However, there's no mistaking it."

Like a razor's edge, their eyes went sharp with an illusory black mist wrapped around them. Before that façade wall was blew into oblivion, at the same time, both Tamamo and Kiyohime felt the appearance of a very familiar presence.

" **Master/Goshujin-sama's magical energy was leaking out."**

The two love rivals spoke in sync, they have the same thought. Yes, they can feel her mana flowing in a distance, glimmering like a tiny flame on top a candle as it occurred in a very short period.

The Servants began looking around the place for their young Master.

"Hawawawaaaa….."

Fujimaru trembled uncontrollably, perhaps out of fear and anxiety.

…..this is…..this is bad….

No, that didn't describe the real difficulty of their current situation. To emphasize the dilemma they were trapped in, she should rephrase it like this.

…..this is extremely bad!

How did they find out the hidden passageway?! To think this underground facility would be discovered this soon at the worst timing possible with the wrong kind of people in the not so right circumstance.

…..I know Kiyohime is looking for us but why is Tamamo tagging along with her?!

Misfortune has begun to rub off on her, it seemed.

"...Those are horns and kitsune's ears…also, kimono? In this cold weather? Are they doing cosplay?" Said the spiky haired boy in wonder.

"That is your reaction, Kamijou-san?!"

Really now, Kamijou, you only paid attention to those details? You are a few inches away from your impending doom, don't turn this helpless situation into a tsukkomi!

"Hm? I'm hearing noises." Ears perking up, Tamamo scanned around."Goshujin-sama, is that you?"

"Master~, it's your beloved Kiyohime here, please come out."

The girl quickly ducked her head down from view, covering her mouh before they could discover her whereabouts, the same went for Kamijou while he leaned on the window frame to watch as she pulled him back in and told him to keep it down.

Things didn't seem to look good for her and the new recruited member.

…w-what should we do?

There was one hidden route they can take to get out of here but it located on the other side of this vast chamber. They can make a run for it but a human's speed is nothing compared to the Servants, those two will see them before they even know it.

Fujimaru tried to think of a way to handle this. However, her mind was clouded by dark thoughts.

….if they found us, then…then…

The punishment that might come after that, how scary it would be.

A giant bell with lots of fires floated around, roasting the content inside.

A bed, a fluffy tail and a pair of elegant leg threatening to warp around the girl's limbs like spider web, forcefully pinning her down to make her fragile body go wild….this punishment didn't sound right.

Yet, knowing Tamamo, there's a high possibility that kind of scenario could happen.

Fujimaru clutched her head, smoke leaking out a bit. Thanks to her vivid imagination, half of her expression went white like her blood was being drained out while the other burned red, mixed emotions. She didn't want to experience neither of the punishments.

…ahhhh, I should have brought my cell phone with me! Mashu, help usss!

If only the ever reliable kouhai of her was here.

Seeing the person next to him fidgeting around in trouble, Kamijou made a guess.

"The person they're calling is you, right? I don't mean to pry into any private topic if there is one but the way they're addressing you." He placed a hand to his chin, thinking and slowly shifting the view to Fujimaru as if having a little doubt."I'm not stumbling into another rich ojou-sama now, am I?"

Out of all the thing he should be focusing on, it has to be something way off the topic.

And what did he mean by another anyway?

"Maybe you don't know but I'm not an ojou-sama or anything, I'm their Master and they are my Servants." Fujimaru explained through whispers."We all are bounded together by contracts."

Kamijou nodded then he turned away, staring into the distance with a dumbfounded look, probably thinking "Huh, what's the difference?".

Should have explained more and added the word spiritual in front of the term contract.

"In short, they are your friends." He came up with the most understandable solution himself.

"Yes."

"I see, remind me why are we being chased by them? I'm still clueless about the reason."

"Obsession."

"…..?"

"They have an immense obsession toward me. I don't know what they will do if they see us sticking together like this in the middle of the night and in these clothes. They might get the wrong idea out of this."

Kamijou immediately understood.

"Ah, so basically, this is the extreme version of the relationship between Shirai and Biribiri, huh." He closed his eyes and nodded thoughtfully."Hm, hm, that makes sense."

Fujimaru raised an eyebrow at Kamijou as he was calmer than she would expect. Did that mean he experienced something like this before?

The spiky haired boy scratched the back of his head as he continued.

"If they don't see this as a misunderstanding, shouldn't we just go meet them directly and explain everything instead of doing this? I don't think your friends would be mad at us if we give them a sincere answer."

Judging from his point of view, Kamijou wasn't wrong. At this point, surrendering themselves might be not that bad of an option.

Things can be cleared out peacefully with Tamamo. As for Kiyohime, it will be a whole new level though.

Fujimaru knew Kiyohime hates lies more than anything else in the world and with her Madness Enhancement, the dragon princess can even see through the biggest lie of all no matter how honest they show on the surface. If she has a serious conversation with her, surely she will listen to what they say.

Out of 50/50 chance, they might get over this with some light skin burns at the end. No need to bring more trouble to herself and the newbie, especially the latter since he has just begun to work here.

Feeling somewhat anxious, Fujimaru shook her head, not letting the emotion sway her will.

….I guess there's no other option then.

Fujimaru met the boy's gaze, showing him a good amount of determination in her eyes. She intent to repent from this hopeless hide and seek act with the Servants.

Both gave each other a firm nod then proceed to walk down there, revealing themselves.

At least, that was how things supposed to go.

"Mi-mikonnnn~! Kiyohime-chan! Look, take a look at this!" The fox shrine maiden pointed at a spot filled with dried blood stains on the floor.

"….ara…." Mumbling quietly the dragon girl.

"You said Master came down here with another person, didn't you? Then minutes ago, we felt Master's magical energy around here, and now these marks appears. Kiyohime-chan, do you know what this means? It can only means one thing, we have a full picture of what's going on now." For some reason, Tamamo made a sad expression. Her way of addressing Fujimaru also changed."Oh, how can this be?! To think my Master would give herself to the temptation of youth with someone else rather than her most adorable Servant."

…..eh, why is she making it sounds like I'm cheating on her?

Fujimaru blinked, what was that foxy girl interpreting and acting all dramatic when she first saw those blood stains, which were from that cut on Kamijou's right arm?

Tamamo raised a hand above her head as if she was reaching at something out of her imagination, an exaggerate image of a child with her toy being snatched away.

"In the middle of the night, goshu…..no, Master and that person has ventured to this dark place, doing a lot of things together as they surrendered to their primal nature. These…." Tears glittered in her eyes as her way of addressing Fujimaru changed. The beautiful fox maiden fell down on her knees, feeling heartbreaking."….these stains here…are proofs of that."

Hearing that, the said Master has her jaw dropped, mouth agape in disbelief.

She wasn't in the wrong, they did nearly give up to their instinct but it was not like that! Those were just heart pounding and blushing moments!

Fujimaru's cheek also slowly turned red, the girl fully understood what sort of scenario was playing in Tamamo's head.

Kamijou was on the same boat as her, the amount of cold sweat dripping down from his forehead was enough to tell despite his facial expression was as stiffed as a rock. He also understood another thing by watching the sight.

That trip over from earlier, and this cut on his right arm. Everything was being set up nicely by his damn misfortune…..again.

"Fujimaru-san." The boy whispered.

"?"

"Before, you told me if this is a matter between life and death."

"I did say that."

"How bad it is? The worst case scenario."

"….you get a fourth degree burn."

From head to toe, Kamijou went white.

"…such misfortune."

"Ahhhh~, my poor Master. Her most precious, delicious and beautiful soul has been defiled!" Tamamo continued to whimper."This is horrible, Tamamo feels so sad! So heartbreaking! So cruel! The one who's supposed to have the right to embrace her tightly on either the floor or the bed and shower all her five senses with the flavor of love should have been me!"

Kiyohime didn't say anything, the young girl stood aside and watched. With the silence vibe she gave out along with the suspense look in her eyes, anyone can tell that this event was about to take a drastic turn.

After all, in those eyes, reflected the image of someone engulfed by the flame of hatred.

….YOU GOT IT ALL WRONGGGGGGGGGG!

….YOU GOT IT ALL WRONGGGGGGGGGG!

Kamijou and Fujimaru screamed internally, they can only do so much as the gate to impending doom has opened.

One more step to cross to the other side.

"…can't help it then…"

Despite the situation was as hopeless as it could be, there was still the sound of a certain right hand gripping the air with resolve.

It was not over yet, the spiky haired boy did not decide to give up that easily. Metaphorically speaking, Kamijou reached out and closed back one side of the gate.

Like always, he will find a way to survive and turn the tide of every bad luck's shenanigan with that special right hand of his. He stood up, showing his face out the window on purpose but was stopped by Fujimaru, she knew what he intent to do.

"Kamijou-san, don't." Fujimaru firmly grabbed his shoulder as she stared deeply into his blue orbs. In a few seconds, her gazes didn't avert to anywhere, they were sharpened by a glint of serious emotion."There are things you don't wish to try."

"?"

Tamamo's cry came to a sudden stop, she stood up and wiping her forehead as it she broke a good sweat.

"Well, now that I got it out of the system." In her usual sweet tone, the fox shrine maiden turned to her rival."Kiyohime-chan, let's keep looking for ours Master, shall we? I don't mind if we team up on this occasion, we need to have a V~E~R~Y long talk with her."

An incredibly fast change in attitude, as expected of the fox-miko Tamamo no Mae, no one can predict what was in her mind.

"I was about to say the same thing." Kiyohime let out a small sigh. As she did so, a spark of fire appeared and the papers scattered near her burned, turning into ashes."I'm really interested in what Master has to say about this betrayal before I start throwing flame around."

The darkest aura radiated from the two love rivals swallowed the entire chamber.

In their hiding spot, Fujimaru and Kamijou stared retreating to the back of the room as the sight made them shivered in awe.

From this moment, no room was left for explaining.

…..

…

"Goshu-…..oh, heavens me, I twist my tongue. Master, come out, we know you are here~."

"Master~, I'll find you no matter where you are."

The love rivals has already split up, searching for the hiding girl, they haven't gone up to the upper hallways yet. The sweet tone they used did not match the prominent aura that currently choking the air.

"….things escalate this far is because of me."

Forgetting to hold her breath while hiding, Fujimaru turned her head to look at him, what was he talking about?

"My rotten luck is having fun in messing with me. I was shifted to this base in the first place that I got you involved. At this point, there's only one thing I can do to clear this misunderstanding." He stood up, heading toward the door."I'll give them a full story."

"Kamijou-san, don't do it!" Fujimaru caught his hand."This is not the time to act all heroic!"

She's right, trying to reason with yanderes is not an option.

"In the beginning, this happens because I set my foot inside your room so this is basically my fault we ended up in this kind of circumstance, you know. I may get a skin burn afterward and but if that settles everything and not ruins your relationship with those two then that's fine." He casted his gaze to the dusty ground, this act caught Fujimaru's attention."My roommates are not going to handle this well, but they'll understand."

Kamijou gently pushed her hand away and went to face the impending doom on his own.

….ah…

The auburn haired girl tried to grip his hand again in hurry. She failed, Kamijou was already a few steps away from her reach.

Unbelievable.

That boy, she made him run away with her to hide themselves from being discovered by her Servants and possibly not to trigger Kiyohime's bad side of jealousy. The one to be at fault here should be her, yet he denied all of that and wanted to take the blame for himself.

Why?! Because he felt responsible? Fearing that the relationships between her and the two Servants, her friends, would become unpleasant?

He told her this was how bad luck usually mess with him, every accident it caused gives him injuries and he got used to the way that his life hack scars onto his body.

Right now, that bad luck was affecting her, he believed that was how this was happening. He was kind enough to help her by giving up as well as revealing himself to Tamamo and Kiyohime, knowing those girls were targeting her instead of the one she accompanied with.

Considering Kiyohime's unstable mental when it comes to her affection toward her, it could be life-threatening the moment he shows himself in front of the dragon princess. Kamijou was fully aware that this was a life and death matter, but he was still willing to accept the consequence of doing so.

If someone is to get involved in his bad luck, he will do everything to get that person out of the trouble it causes.

Kamijou reached the doorway, it opened. The faint sound was caught by Tamamo and Kiyohime's ears, they looked up to the source as his figure was about to enter their sight.

…this is….

This is how he deals with his fate, his misfortune, his life-time curse.

He was risking his life. He said he will always find a way to survive from misfortunes and yet how can he be so acceptance?!

This was not kindness.

This was not heroic.

This was unfairness.

Fujimaru Ritsuka gritted her teeth, she knew that much.

Because the gaze she saw from him earlier spoke more than the gentle smile showed on his face.

It spoke, that boy will do everything...

…..even if it means hurting himself in the process.

That was not all.

On top of everything else, that dull eyes of his, she has seen it from elsewhere. It resembled to the look of a girl who often stares at her reflection in the black scene of her mobile phone whenever she was alone in her room.

The one look that expressed her acceptance, to the one hurtful truth she discovered during the final days of the Human Incineration Incident.

Even though she has only just met him.

Even though she hasn't known everything about him yet.

Through the look in his eyes, deep down, she came to know a certain fact. That boy and her, they both shared something in common.

That was what made her understand a part of his personally, a part of him she saw in herself.

Because of that, she will stop him.

Using all the athletic advantage of her feminine physique, she tackled Kamijou to the ground.

The boy didn't not aware of Fujimaru charging at him at all, his face hit the solid floor once the softness of her body smacked him hard in the back.

He glanced over his shoulder, eyes widened in incomprehension at the girl who was on top him.

"…you...honestly, you're so stubborn." Fujimaru returned his confused gaze with the same one he saw when their eyes first made contact. Those eyes of her, they wavered as she softly spoke."Then again…..you're the same as me, in more than one way, more than I realize till now. To think this happens in a very short time."

Letting out a sigh, she got off him.

"Kamijou-san, you stay here. Usually, I don't want to resort do this." For a split second, the red summon symbol on her right hand brightened up."But I guess it can't be helped."

Much to Kamijou's surprise, Fujimaru left him. In the end, she decided to reveal herself without letting them know that boy was here.

The girl met her two Servants, who carried an immeasurable affection toward her, face to face just on time when they ran up the stair.

"Ah, there you are!"

"Master!"

"Tamamo! Kiyohime!" She raised her voice, calling their names while the right hand slowly rose from her side."Sorry, I'll definitely make it up to you two after this!"

Light from the **Command Seals** carved on the back dismissed the darkness enveloping where Fujimaru stood straight.

The two Servants of Caster and Berserker class watched their Master, their mind were momentarily blank when they saw her expression, the display of strong emotions showed during battles of saving the world. It was not something they would expect to see from her right here in the peaceful Chaldea.

Fujimaru was determined. In this case, she made a decision.

" **In the name of Fujimaru Ritsuka-"**

She will retaliate this circumstance by using these seals.

" **And by the order of these Command Seals! Tamamo no Mae, Kiyohime, I order you two to go back to your room in silence and sleep till morning!"**

The Servants whose names spoken were dumbstruck.

Before their mind could catch up to what Fujimaru just said, their bodies began to loyally follow the command. Both was forced to back away, returning to the entrance which Kiyohime blew up.

Tamamo and Kiyohime mustered the strength to halt their movements, greatly struggling in their shaking forms. Being controlled by an invisible force against their wills, the consciousness and the body were separate, completely independent.

"Heh….ah….goshujin-sama!" For some reason, Tamamo changed back her loving way of addressing Fujimaru. She was very confused."What is the meaning of this?!"

"Master, are you betraying me?!" Kiyohime worried, this came to her as a shocking development."You're not casting away my devotion for you, aren't you?!"

"Please be on your way, I promise I'll explain everything to you!"

"Goshujin-sama, that does not answering our questions!" The fox shrine maiden sweat dropped, her feet budged a few inches.

"So you really are with someone at this hour! Who is it, Master? Who did you just do **Mana Transfer** with?!"

Fujimaru jolted, her face instantly turned red. Both Servants gasped in disbelief, they took that as a "How did they know?!" respond.

"You both got the wrong idea! I'm not doing any of that embarrassing stuff with anyone!"

Refusing to believe her, Tamamo and Kiyohime kept resisting the command. Knowing this won't get anywhere, Fujimaru decided to use the trump card she came up with on the spot.

"Fine, fine! After this is over, **I'll do anything you say until you're satisfied**!"

Stars appeared inside Tamamo's iris once she heard it.

"Mikon! That…that's a one in a million chances I will surely take! Oh~, that alluring form containing the most beautiful soul of man, the perfect slender figure hidden under the silky fabric of a pajama! W-wait, if this is some sort of bait to distract Tamamo from the way you are treating her right now, then it's super effective it makes me irritating!...tating (echoes)…tating (echoes)…ing (echoes)….."

Her last word resounded in the air.

The fox shrine maiden lost to her desire and smoothly went out of everyone's sight under the manipulation of the Command Seals.

The only one left was Kiyohime, who was hanging her head down. Maybe it was due to how cold this place was that her breath turned visible, or perhaps it was actual smoke of fire leaking out as the air around her got warmer.

"Master, do not lie to me." The petite dragon girl forced her feet to move toward Fujimaru. How amazing and frightening at the same time, for her to be able to resist the command seal this long."Do you really mean it?"

She lifted her head up, a trail of blood can be seen bleeding from her nose.

"Do you really really mean it?! You will do anything I say?! To my heart's content?!" She was very excited.

Kiyohime extended her hand toward Fujimaru, imaginary heart-shapes popped out in the back ground. A squeak nearly flew right out of the girl's mouth once the tenacious princess managed to grab her wrist.

"In that case, let me kis-"

Unfortunately, the order given by the Command Seals are absolute.

Kiyohime disappeared through the hidden entrance, she didn't get the chance to finish those words as her body betrayed her intention at the last minute. Regardless, her expression was still filled with full of joy.

Fujimaru stood there on the stair, hand on her chest, she breathed out lightly. The three marks that made a complete symbol at the back reduced to one. Giving such order to Tamamo and Kiyohime took away two of her Command Spells.

The trump card worked, the boy were no longer in danger.

"…ahaha…." She smiled in a flat tone.

Of course, only the boy.

She hasn't ended up in the safe zone yet, not in the slightest. In exchange of being burned at stake, her very own existence will experience a ruthless assault.

…..I think I just dig my own grave.

When this is truly over, she will really need to have both her body and mentality be prepared.

...

They were now back to the surface, taking another detour in a different area of Chaldea base as they crossed another hidden path, which also connected to the chamber.

It's been quiet since they left there.

 **Ggrrr!**

No, it's not, somebody's stomach just started another rebellion. Wonder what would happen if this sound was to roar out loud during that crazy hide and seek moment a while back.

"Let's take a shortcut through here."

Kamijou followed Fujimaru to a grand hall with lots of shelves storing a near unlimited amount of books. They were in a library.

"Big…"

"Impressive, isn't it? Chaldea library contains all knowledge around the world. Many books from all domains such as history, geography, medical. Even ancient documents relates to some of the oldest figures in the **Throne of Heroes** are here in this hall."

Ton of questions appeared in his mind.

The term that has never spoken nor heard from where he came from, Kamijou didn't understand what that means but he was sure that there is a very low chance he might hear it again in his own world. For now, it would be better to just nod his head and go with the flow.

In the beginning, the main goal was none but to satisfy this hunger of him anyway. Finished that goal, then he can try to find the way back to his world.

Kamijou glanced down to his right hand.

…the problem is…how?

"Does it still hurt?"

"?"

The boy startled as Fujimaru stopped before him, staring at his right arm.

"Your elbow."

"I-It's fine, I'm not feeling any pain. I'll just need some bandage to take care of it."

"…..I see."

She nodded after a few seconds pondering over something. It would never be that hard to guess she was intrigued by the unknown power that negated her healing magic.

In a slower pace, they kept moving on the clean, red carpet laid by the floor.

Kamijou took a sneak peek around.

There wasn't much to say about the books here, yet, the lavish decoration of the interior emitted such warming and relaxing atmosphere. Hard to believe this library is part of a place located on top of a snowy mountain.

Many shelves divided into different categories, a variety of materials to read.

….journals, novels, old newspapers…..hm? Even children books?

Anyone who built this base must have thought of everything.

…

…

"Wait."

Fujimaru held up a hand to stop Kamijou when they were about to cross the reading area. She spotted two figures sitting on a table near there, each has what seemed to be a manuscript in their hands.

A child with blue hair was reading the sheets, the stern look spread on his face preferred he didn't really into reading it, unamused.

A man in a refined, Medieval-esque clothing was humming, spinning the pen he held in style then proceeded to capture the detail of something came to his mind in another paper.

Sitting here in the middle of the night, what were they doing? Fujimaru asked herself.

"Aha!" Getting energetic, **William Shakespeare** stood up from his seat."I have come up with a new plot for the next chapter!"

"Reject!" One cold word and **Hans Christian Andersen** pushed the manuscript back to the legendary playwright."This part of the story you wrote lacks substance."

"Oh dear, really?" Didn't faze by the bluntness of his friend, Shakespeare raised an eyebrow."Adventure stories tend to be long and detailed, which part did I make a mistake?"

"This chapter doesn't present the core concept we discussed about." Andersen pointed his tiny finger at the script."And it's cliché more than any of my previous works. You can't just nonchalantly emphasize romance elements during battles! It's nothing more than a sub-genre, around this time of the story, the protagonist is supposed to focus on saving the old kingdom from the enemy's invasion as she determined to do. Instead of depicting the plot that way, you changed it to a different direction. Now the story turned into a nonsense modern rom-com, the protagonist is busy struggling with these heroes and heroines throwing tantrums at each other just because they want to prove whose feeling for her is the strongest! What kind of situation like that happens in the midst of a battle? Even if it does, you made it too long!"

Fujimaru made an "O" shape with her mouth as she overheard their little argument. The greatest writer of England and the greatest author of fairy tales were writing a story together at this very moment. Somehow, the plot felt familiar to the girl the more she listened.

"You say cliché? Well, it is indeed cliché. It is my intention to make the story a little bit this way if we're aiming for the young, immature audiences. Adding the subgenres to the spotlight during the decisive moment, I created a perfect situation that can bring the smile on their tensed expression after they have gone this far into the story. Just imagine a full picture filled with tragic, battles, destruction and the burning flame. If you look closer, somewhere in those madness still remains these tender moments belongs to a young girl who overcomes it all."

A quick snap of the fingers, Shakespeare declared.

"That is where romance comes into play. Not much of a perfection but a constructive concept of an entertaining idealistic, wouldn't you agree?"

Fixing his glasses, Andersen grunted slightly in annoyance.

"Tone it down then, my ideal is to make this piece of work broaden the readers view about the life of the female protagonist and how she becoming a first-rate Master."

…..eh?

Shakespeare laughed whole-heartedly.

"My friend Andersen, the importance of romance in a story lies at how you see it fits into the main characters as a whole, plus, how you see it from a third perspective. Master has always been surrounded by many kind of people and they all possess certain feelings toward her, which certainly making her story the more interesting. Interactions will get vary between them, for the purpose of portraying the hilariousness from that, comedy and romance are an absolute requirement to give you a good laugh. Those sub-genre here serves as the cliché situations throughout the story."

The man began moving his hand on the sheet, the pen he holding gracefully danced as ideas became words.

"In my observation, the long adventure of ours Master is a thorny, roughed but touching story. She, alone, is a unique individual. A beautiful jewel trapped inside a box, you might think the correct term should be diamond in a rock. Well, you are right, but as I've stated before. Master is unique, she doesn't need any polishing to make her shine. Using a clever way to describe the hints, if the audiences desires so, they will be intrigued to dig deeper the image of the protagonist. The story of her life you're writing has already put her in the spotlight, in another words, my part is to merely bring out those joyful moments she has with everyone to the audiences. She is already someone who stands out in your natural, pessimistic view of the world, a precious gem."

"W-watch your tone!"

The young child with an adult mind coughed, a faint pink tinged his cheeks.

…..does that….does that m-m-means…Shakespeare and…sensei are….?!

The protagonist of their story blushed, she covered her mouth to prevent the surprise gasp from escaping. The story they were spending the night to write was about her, about Fujimaru Ritsuka.

From behind, Kamijou peeked at the two Servants over her shoulder, still clueless about what he was watching.

"Adapting to each other's method of writing is an added challenge. But it doesn't seem that bad now that I have lots of material to write everyday just by staying here in Chaldea." Rushing his gentlemanly beard, Shakespeare sat back down and smiled.

"Just to be clear, doing this is pretty much against my taste."

"But you're still coping with it so well, her nature shined the way for you to view life in a more optimistic manner. You know you are willing to do this from the start with me, don't deny that."

"Fool! You and your exaggerating speech, I'm doing this because I'm interested in modern writing techniques, I can widen my methods and combine with it to make any story I wrote looks more astounding. This is no more than an experimenting piece of work."

"Yet, you pour all your heart into it, which is fascinating! Such is also a form of romance!"

"W-will you quit saying it like that?!"

…aww~, sensei is fluttering.

Too immersed with the reaction of young Andersen and curious by his activity with Shakespeare, Fujimaru seemed to forget what she was planning on doing with her empty stomach. The girl giggled as she kept on observing while the spiky haired boy remained quiet.

"Why are we stopping?" Or at least he tried to be, the hunger was getting intense.

"Those two are writing a story, I want to know."

"Who are they?"

The auburn haired girl smiled, she gave him their names.

"Uh huh."

A blank expression and an empty respond were not what she expected.

"Now, for the next chapter, I plan to make it the prologue of a grand finale. Of course, the relationship between Master and us Servants should be executed nicely as we are near the end of the journey. I believe I should gather more materials for this."

"Do what you have to do, but don't let it change the core concept again, we're telling the story about her saving the world."

Fujimaru flinched at the words, the excitement in her eyes slowly faded. She turned back to Kamijou, telling him to take a different path, to which he agreed.

"Well, afraid not my friend, my plot will always strike at the most importance detail. After all, this is a masterpiece we are making together, how could I ever have the heart to ruin it…but in the case I go overboard, surely a couple of tea cups and a private massage from Master to you would make up for my mistake."

"You demon!"

As the poetry continued his work with the fairy tales author, Fujimaru and Kamijou left the place in silence.

…..

…..

"W-wait a minute."

Again? Something happened again?

"I thought we are going straight to the cafeteria." Kamijou looked at the sign hanging above the door."Not the infirmary."

"Your wound comes first."

"But-"

"Kamijou-san, don't be so stubborn." Fujimaru insisted, she went behind and gently pushed him through the door."Let Nightingale treat your injury. I'll stay here with you until she finishes, we can eat to our heart's content after that."

They went in the room only to know nobody was inside. A certain nurse wasn't there, she has gone to elsewhere. Having no reason to stay, Kamijou tried to persuade the girl to not to worry about his injury.

His words didn't contain much weight, though. Fujimaru refused to let him go, she won't let him leave that deep cut on his right elbow in the open cold air of winter. The girl seriously wanted him to have a proper treatment.

"Sit down." She found him a seat.

Saying anything more would be futile, he reluctantly did as she said.

Since the nurse wasn't around, Fujimaru decided to replace her duty for the time being. The auburn haired girl sat on the opposite seat in front of Kamijou, she started gathering medical tools from the first aid kit prepared on the desk.

"Raise your arm, I'm going to apply disinfectant."

"Ite!"

"S-sorry." Fujimaru was startled a bit when the boy jumped."I'll try to be gentler."

The next few minutes, the room went quiet. Sometime, the chuckling of Fujimaru broke the atmosphere due to the funny expression of Kamijou, who was gritting his teeth whenever the antimicrobial chemical gave him the sharp, stinging pain.

"Kamijou-san, it's no good to show such a face when a girl is treating your wound." She teased."You make it sound like I'm really bad at this. I might lose my confidence as a girl at this rate, you know. Besides, I bet you are really enjoying this moment (because you like me, right?)."

"…..enjoying….." He sweat dropped."What kind of weird tendency you think I'm having?"

The girl moved her seat right next to him, she began wrapping his arm with a bandage. She was very close to him.

"So you don't like it when I'm this close to you?" It was not her intention, she just said it to invoke his cute reactions. The bandage would loosen if she didn't wrap it properly around the joint.

"No, in fact, I don't really mind." Instead of blushing, Kamijou kept a straight face, looking at her in the eyes.

The tactic ended in failure, he has already got used to the nurses treating him this close when he ended up in the hospital due to many incidents.

…..ah….

Fujimaru averted her gaze from his in a hurry. Realizing she has stopped, the girl continued the treatment.

That was close, she almost met his eyes again.

"….s-sit tight, a few more and we're good to go."

"Fujimaru-san, can I ask you a question?"

She didn't reply, many hints of anxiety manifested in the slight shaking of her hands.

"Back then, in the library, the story they're writing…"

"Ehehe, I-It's embarrassing." Fujimaru interrupted."You can forget about it."

"I don't think I can."

"….you can't?" Her voice softened.

"They put all their heart into making it. It's a story about their Master, the girl who saved the world. I'm not particularly good with literature but I think I want to read that kind of book."

Truly, this boy has listened to everything they said.

"And this is just a guess."

Despite remaining clueless about a lot of things belonged to this foreign world, he can justify certain points according to what he has understood so far.

"That girl is you, correct?"

"….you're…..mistaken….."

Fujimaru feigned ignorant at the remark by leaving her seat, looking for some clips provided in the cabinets to secure the end of the bandage. It literally didn't help covering up what she didn't want him to recognize as Kamijou briefly glanced at the same thing she was looking for in the kit.

"The person they talked about is not me."

...I didn't save anything.

The girl went back to where Kamijou was and finished the duty of a temporary nurse. She tried not to look at his face, her attempt was almost desperate.

"There." The girl said cheerfully."All done."

"….."

Kamijou didn't say anything, he gave her the same observing look.

Why did he suddenly act so different from before? The way he was watching her, it was somewhat unpleasant, as if he discovered those emotions she worked so hard to hide it from everyone.

"K-Kamijou-san, stop those gazes." Fujimaru shifted her vision to the side."You're making me nervous."

"Huh?" He blinked, as if he didn't realize what he was doing."S-sorry, that was rude of me. I just can't ignore your look."

There! Just what she needed, the opportunity to change the topic presented. Slightly tilting her head to the side, Fujimaru innocently played with the tip of her side ponytail.

"Hm, are you saying I'm pet….pru….pretty?"

Crap, she stammered hard. Bad acting, Fujimaru! She was never good at pretending to be someone she didn't!

"…..yeah." Calmly said the spiky haired boy.

"…..eh?"

Now, let's not be confused, he was probably in his usual dense mode, those words that sounded like a confession were invalid.

"…you're pretty." Once again, from the same person.

 **Doki!**

Fujimaru felt her heart skipped a beat.

It actually made her flush, not a tinge of pink that crept onto her cheek and slowly spread, it was a full blooming blush.

…..he likes me that much, huh….wait, what am I blushing for?! Focus! I'm trying to change the topic here!

A maiden's heart won't give in so easily to those common flatteries. However, she won't deny that his words certainly has a strange effect on her. This was dangerous, never did her heart throb this much, not even **Cú Chulainn** 's intimidationnor **Diarmuid** 's handsomenessmanaged to sway her spirit.

Seriously, what got into his head?!

This topic seemed to do her no good either, it made her feel conflict. Something like this was a high risk that no amount of braveness could force her to continue pursuing, teasing this person might have been a bad move on her end all this time.

Kamijou's honesty and unnatural aggressiveness showed in his own way of revealing his feeling toward her were a fearsome force to be reckoned with. In some way, his personality might even rival to **Euryale** 's charm.

"T-t-to the cafeteria!" Fujimaru hoped her voice doesn't come out forced.

Not waiting for Kamijou to move from his seat, she walked fast toward the exit. The girl didn't spend a second to look back at the boy, she believed it would be best to avoid both his face and gaze altogether for the sake of cooling down this mysterious feeling in her chest.

And…..

Since that boy was observant and sharp to some degree, she was afraid he would notice it, what reflected deep in her eyes. Just like how that person did.

As being drowned in her own thoughts, Fujimaru didn't aware that Kamijou has not budged an inch. Until a dull sound disrupted her worry that she finally turned around, eyes widened in shock.

"Kamijou-san!"

The boy no longer sat on the seat, she found him collapsed on the ground.

...

* * *

 **-Music 01: Untold Master composed by Hideyuki Fukasawa  
**

* * *

 **[Between the line]**

… _eh?_

 _Fujimaru Ritsuka widened her eyes, as she stared at the pure blue sky stretching over the vast horizon. Around her, there was nothing, and like the color of a blank sheet, everything was paint in white._

 _The rustling sound of wind never stopped spreading the chilly atmosphere to all directions. From where she was standing, in her view, the world became a giant wasteland._

 _No matter where she looked, hundreds of sand dunes laid out before her eyes. The girl turned her head down and look at the ground, many white grains of sand that formed like flowing waves of the sea seemed to have been here forever due to the lack of life._

"… _guh!"_

 _Fujimaru slightly shuddered a bit, arms wrapped around herself as the fresh cold air penetrated her skin._

 _Unlike Antarctica, this place could give her the chilling coldness that freezes her body to the core in a short moment when a single small breeze came by._

… _cold….._

 _Even though the Mystic Code she was wearing, the standard uniform of Chaldea, strengthened her endurance, the bitter weather this place offered could still make her shivered._

 _This did not make any sense, could a desert be this cold in daylight? She kept wondering about it._

… _why am I end up here…..again?_

 _She had a feeling she had been here._

 _This was not the first time she had seen this sight, Fujimaru had been here for how many time she forgot to count._

 _But how did she get here? What was this place?_

 _The auburn haired girl had no answer for that, so many questions were bumping together in her head that made the girl felt somewhat frustrated._

 _She walked and walked for hours and there was still no sight of life around, as if the place was a true death land. The girl felt somewhat unpleasant, this unknown world let out such a lonely vibe that slowly eating away at her existence._

 _This isolation she went through, the feeling got worse the more she wandered in this endless desert._

 _She wanted to raise her voice, calling out for someone._

 _She wanted to know if there was somebody else in this land with her._

 _She wanted to put a stop to this loneliness swelling up within her that she could hardly endure._

"… _..ah…..M…." Her throat was dried."Mashuuuu!...Fouuuuu!"_

 _She didn't know if anyone could hear it, this could have been a hopeless attempt. Maybe her kouhai and that squirrel-like creature were never even here to begin with, the chances were really slim._

 _Nonetheless, she kept trying, speaking the names of those who was close to her._

" _Da Vinci-channnn!..." Out of breath, she inhaled and tried again."Dr Rom-"_

 _All of sudden, she stopped, both hands covering her mouth. The act was simply instinct driven, she nearly said that name by accident._

 _Why?_

 _After everything happened in the_ _ **Final Singularity**_ _, why did she still call that name? By now, she should have been able to come to term with it, with what he had done to himself in order to help her save the world._

 _And yet….._

 _Fujimaru fell down on her knees as her leg started giving out. For some reason, she didn't get back up, the girl let herself stay like that for a moment despite the cold breezes kept flowing._

… _ **..it is brilliant, isn't it, Ritsuka-chan? The life of a human is like a story full of love and hope…..**_

 _In her grasp, she squeezed tightly the sand trickling through her fingers as the image of a person with a laid-back attitude flashed through her mind, someone who beamed her one last smile before him and everything he owned forever vanished from human history._

 _And yet….._

… _.why is it so difficult to let go?_

 _Wavering emotions started leaking out as her thoughts started trailing off from what she needed to focus on, realizing that, the girl shook her head and quickly went back to her feet._

 _Now was not the time for her to reminisce over the past, she had to get out of this massive waste land before anything bad could happen._

 _But where to? She asked herself, not having a single clue of how to deal with this circumstance._

 _Nothing was there for her to find._

 _No one was there for her to look._

 _She tried to call others' name again and the only respond she received was the blowing wind._

" _You haven't realized it yet?"_

 _Or maybe not, there was an actual voice mixed in the air. Fujimaru turned around, she heard it came from someone standing behind her._

"… _!"_

 _Her eyes widened, a person did stood behind her and because of that, the girl nearly gasped in joy. She was not alone in this place. But before she could even move her leg to run toward him, she froze in place._

… _ah, that face…_

 _She recognized his appearance from somewhere. The white hair that covered an eye, and the armor that has similar design to her kouhai's Servant form with a simple purple color pattern._

" _It's you."_

" _Yes, we meet again."_ _ **Galahad**_ _, one of the_ _ **Knights of the Round Table**_ _, replied softly."You remember me and yet you don't remember this place. Is it purely unintentional? Or is there something else that you are not willing to acknowledge?"_

"… _.what?"_

 _What was he talking about?_

 _Galahad slightly turned his head to the side, watching the sight of a white sand dune built up over time._

" _Look around you, you should have known why you are seeing this. You should have understood the reason why you are kept being pulled inside this dream."_

 _Fujimaru blinked in confusion at his words. A dream, he said._

 _Were all of this cold and solitude she felt are part of a dream?_

… _..this is a dream? It felt so real…._

" _Maybe you really haven't realized it yet but as everything stands in front of you, the outcome cannot be changed regardless of your effort in keeping the world safe."_

" _?!" The auburn haired girl narrowed her eyes._

 _And Galahad's next word struck her like a sword slashing through a fragile wall that was her perception._

" _ **Continue to protect the Human Order is a mistake."**_

"… _..why are you-"_

" _This is a warning." The young knight intercepted Fujimaru before she could finish."What you are seeing and feeling right now is proof of that."_

 _Finally looking back at her, the person who was deemed as the Perfect Knight began taking his steps toward the girl. Perhaps due to the cold wind, Fujimaru trembled, she couldn't lift a muscle and eventually fell back down on her butt._

 _She was shocked._

" _Everything here foretells the consequence, the state of the world and the future which will take place in a year later." Paying no heel to Fujimaru's reaction, Galahad continued."This dream you're witnessing, will eventually become a reality. It will surely happen if you keep on pursuing the purpose you've devoted so much to prevent the faked_ _ **King of Magic**_ _from completing his goal."_

"… _.no..."_

 _The girl weakly moved her head to look around once more, her hand touched the cold white sand that was revealed to be the next appearance of the Earth._

 _Suddenly, an idea rushed through her mind, like a big storm raging through a small ship at sea. Many fragments of the dreams she saw before started to gather in one place, becoming a full picture. She remembered this place, this was the result…..no, the consequence of everything she had done._

 _The_ _ **Seven Singularities**_ _._

 _The collapse of the_ _ **Grand Time Temple**_ _._

 _The completion of_ _ **Grand Order**_ _._

 _And lastly, the ******* of ********._

… _..Because of that? This happens because I tried to restore history and defeated…him?_

" _It's seem you have remembered my words." Staring down at her, Galahad said as if knowing what she was thinking."The future has been established to be as such. Although, the faked King of Magic's defeat has nothing to do with this. It is the real one's that becomes a crucial part to the reason why the current distortion in the future exists."_

"… _.."_

 _Fujimaru remained quiet, as if she was letting Galahad's words slowly sink in._

" _You know what I'm talking about, don't you, Fujimaru Ritsuka?"_

"… _.it can't be….."_

 _The auburn haired girl stopped at that, she couldn't let out the idea forming in her head. No matter how she thought about it, it didn't seem right._

" _Why are you hesitating?"_

" _?!"_

" _Why do you not accept this? What is it that makes you turn away or even afraid to look at the truth?"_

"…"

 _Fujimaru couldn't say anything, she lowered her head and stared at the sand for a moment. Not until Galahad the knight got down on one knee that she decided to look at him, although averting the eyes a little from his gaze._

" _It's time you need to think over the next decision you're going to make." In a soft tone, he spoke to her."Otherwise, you have no chance of victory, human will eventually perish."_

"… _.was it all for nothing then?" Fujimaru mumbled._

" _?" The eyebrow that wasn't covered by Galahad's long bangs raised up._

" _After everything we had done, we went through so many hardships to prevent the world from being burnt at stake in a whole year. Hundreds casualties, one…" Fujimaru delayed for a second before she could say anything more."….one person is missing. The world returns to normal…..then this, all things will end up like this? I thought we were able to save the world but after seeing this, wouldn't this mean ours efforts were for naught? That person, he sacrificed his own existence and the legacy he built throughout history to help me defeat_ _ **Goetia**_ _, was that act also means nothing?"_

 _Galahad stayed silent as he watched Fujimaru expressing her deepest thoughts. The auburn haired girl then reached out to him, her hand grabbed his arm, holding it firmly._

" _If what you said about this future of the Earth a year later is true then how can I fix this? If restoring human history is a mistake then what else should I do to save everyone and prevent this dream from turning into reality?"_

 _Fujimaru locked her eyes with the young knight's stoic gaze, she desperately wanted to know the answer from him. Stop protecting the Human Order, was it simply end at that and the only way to prevent what she saw around her from happening? The solution for this upcoming disaster couldn't possibly be such a way._

 _Fujimaru won't just stand aside and let mankind reach extinction. In a way, Human Order also means humanity, including its growth, meaning the past history, present and future. The longer it exists the more possibilities in the future it establishes._

" _Telling me to stop following the core principle of Chaldea, but does it has to be the only way to make sure this dreadful future won't take place? If it is so then it's something I cannot do, I want to protect everyone, there has to be another way to stop this!"_

" _There are none." Galahad responded calmly._

" _?!"_

" _This is the only answer you will get from me, even if there is possibly another different approach, it would be outside your capabilities."_

 _Exhausted, Fujimaru gasped lightly and her form staggered. Noticing this, Galahad quickly caught her from falling and helped the young girl to sit up properly, supporting her as he gently held her small shoulder._

" _I said this once and I will repeat it again. This dream you've seen so many time is merely a premonition of what's about to come. Surely, until then, there are no answer or definite solutions to help you and humanity overcome this fate. You can only know what has to be done when it happened."_

 _The girl tightened her grip as she heard those words. A calamity that couldn't be stop until it had already occurred, it sounded like a nightmare._

" _However…..before that time came, you should focus on your own problem first, Fujimaru Ritsuka."_

" _?"_

" _Even at this moment, when you are still feeling conflicted with yourself, the world is drifting further from its correct history and it's on the brink of reaching a dead end. Trapping yourself in the past won't help you come to term with it, you know that well enough."_

 _Conflicted._

 _Truthfully, that was something she thought no one would recognize if she didn't show it out. However, the young knight could still able to notice that slightest hint._

" _I'm don't understand."_

" _Because your eyes show it all." Those words caused Fujimaru to widen her eyes in surprise."They express so well the emotions within you, always so sincere, almost like you have never intended to hide anything from anyone. Maybe that is part of the reasons why everyone in Chaldea, including the Servants, is drawn to you."_

 _It just showed how honest and straightforward the girl was, she could keep silent about something yet never really know how to tell a lie, she was really bad at it._

" _You knew." Fujimaru's lip parted, slightly trembled."That means Mashu also….."_

 _Galahad nodded his head, that one gesture explained all._

" _You've gone this far together with Mash while you let yourself burdened by the responsibility of restoring the Human Order, did you not? Of course she would notice, she didn't want to bother you with it since you always try to change the topic. As long as these wavering emotions still exist, they will be your biggest obstacles." Knowing the girl had regained back enough energy to support herself, the knight removed his hands from her shoulder."Leave them be and you will be helpless."_

 _He stood up, turning on his heel and walked away a few steps._

" _I might be." Fujimaru retorted as she forced herself to stand up, facing his back."But I still have my friends and allies next to me. There is no way we can afford to let ours world become like this! We'll definitely save it again without fail!"_

 _Galahad stopped, gazing at the struggling young Master over his shoulder. The look she gave him filled with a strong conviction, such was suitable for a regular girl who became the last Master of humanity._

" _Such confident words." Closing his eyes, he asked her."Fujimaru Ritsuka, do you aware of the nature of a_ _ **Time-Lock**_ _?"_

" _Heh?" Fujimaru blinked at his question._

 _There was a theory applied to the world._

 _Time-Locks are said to be the universal events forming the premises of what is called Human Order Foundations. In other words, Time-Locks are the core events that makes the correct history of man. Unlike Singularities, the manifestation of Time-Locks causes future and past histories to become immutable._

 _A world where future leads to infinite possibilities is a world contains a static course of important events throughout its rightful history. Humanity can exist for as long as these Time-Locks won't be interfered._

 _However, in the absence of a single one, the history of man is deemed as mutable. The past, present and future likely to drift away from the correct course. In a sense, future possibilities are forcefully narrowed down to one path and at the end of it, inevitable destruction awaits. Humanity and the world will reduce to the chaos of arbitrary possibilities and perish forever once that world has finally reached its dead end due to the gap in its history._

 _Therefore, where they were standing….._

 _This future they saw…_

 _This precognitive dream she was having….._

 _This death land, a massive white desert that echoed an unbearable solitude was the appearance of the current Earth as a gap has opened once more in the true history._

 _Due to the Human Incineration Incident and the restoration of the Human Order, random possibilities are born and manifesting through that gap._

" _From the moment it started one year ago, this future was destined to become a possibility. And the removal of the King of Magic along with his legacy from existence and history acted as a trigger to allow that possibility to happen."_

 _Fujimaru opened her lip to say something but after a moment, no word was spoke. Regretfully, she couldn't deny it._

" _At that time, that person sacrificed himself to help you defeat the faked King and save the current world." Galahad paused as he noticed the auburn haired girl looked down at her feet, her eyes filled with pain."….but….."_

 _But…._

 _Sadly, his conclusion also created this consequence._

" _What he did certainly helped you save the world. Yet unfortunately, at the same time he also caused it to reach a dead end."_

 _In the end, the efforts were spent for nothing._

"… _..I know that…." Fujimaru said in a very quiet tone._

 _Not long ago, among the previous dreams the auburn haired girl had every night, while withstanding the dreadful environment of the current future, she eventually came to realize a certain fact about this huge place. And meeting the Perfect Knight Galahad at those times proved her thoughts right, the idea couldn't be wrong._

 _It was just as he said, as many time in those previous dreams. This was caused by the gap where legends and stories of Solomon the King of Magic should have been._

 _It was something that Fujimaru could not accept….not so easily._

 _For that reason, she turned away._

" _Every time I wake up, I don't remember much about the dreams so I try not to think about it."_

 _But deep-down, she was fully aware. It was not a coincidence the same dream kept repeating._

" _It started to become clearer and clearer to me, I don't know why this is happening. I saved the world and freed the entire planet from the burning flame, the Human Order is restored but if this is the cost for everything I did…..then what else should I do? I don't know, I'm clueless. Then I began to afraid, I can't reveal this to anyone in Chaldea. I can't tell them this peace we have is only temporary, we saved the world only for its future to be destroyed by the very goal we all try to achieve." The girl let out a small sigh as she turned her head up, looking directly at Galahad, no longer averting her sight."I guess knowing so well the feeling of losing someone important has made me a bit of a coward."_

 _Fujimaru smiled a sad smile as she spoke._

 _The wind started to blow, sands flew to the air, changing as the flow steadily got stronger. There was several loud bangs coming far away from where the two of them were standing._

 _A storm was approaching._

 _Upon noticing the wavering in her eyes, the young knight raised a question concerning the feeling she was talking about. That emotion resurfaced on her expression, through her kouhai's view, he had seen it before._

 _Someone important, did this mean…?_

" _You….back then, during that small singularity, did something happen?"_

" _That singularity?"_

" _ **Your hometown."**_

 _A loud bang struck the earth._

 _The storm was coming closer, thunders clashed fiercely on the sky._

 _Fujimaru fell dead silent. Saying nothing, she broke eyes contact with the knight's gaze, didn't appear to open herself to that sudden question._

 _Knowing what that meant, Galahad finally understood, that one act had given enough answer to his wonder._

" _I see." Putting on a rare thin smile, he said."You are a very strong-willed person, Fujimaru Ritsuka."_

 _Seeing that smile along with the compliment received from the knight, the auburn haired girl was slightly stunned but surprised nonetheless. In respond, she also gave him one while sheepishly looked away._

" _Ehehe…I wonder about that…."_

 _Somehow, Fujimaru felt that look he directed at her seemed very gentle yet also apologetic for asking that question._

 _How strange, his words were cold, bearing not even a slightest hint of concern toward the humanity of the current Earth. Unlike that one time when she first met him face to face inside that dream while she wandered into the_ _ **Lost Room**_ _, right now, while talking to her, he seemed to appear more…caring?_

… _..am I even talking to the same person, I wonder?_

 _Winds started picking up, a lot more aggressive than before. Fujimaru had to use both hands to cover her face from the tiny sands flying rapidly through the two of them, her side ponytail fluttered in the air._

 _The girl gasped and shuddered, cold breath visible in her vision as if the world was about to freeze over by this storm. Fujimaru found it hard to struggle against this harsh weather, her leg nearly gave out once more._

 _Then, a flash of light entered her view._

 _Galahad still stood there in front of her, steady like a wall despite the strong currents racing past him. His right arm, which was stretching out, now carried a large cross-shaped shield that was the ultimate protection,_ _ **Lord Camelot**_ _._

… _.what is he doing?_

 _Moving the shield to his front, Galahad slammed it to the ground made of sand and a symbol appeared below its tip. Fujimaru immediately understood what this meant._

 _Galahad was activating his **Noble Phantasm**._

 _Camelot lighted up, shining brightly as giant castle walls rose from the long dead soil of the future Earth._

 _A thunder shot down from above their head, striking the sand a short distance away from them. The spark it caused nearly blinded the girl's eyes, it was dangerously close._

 _But the odd was not yet over, more and more lightings sparked up around them. The sand burnt off the ground as the thunderstorm collided repeatedly with the magical fortress Galahad's Noble Phantasm created._

 _Fujimaru watched the chaos happened from behind the young knight. Within these walls, she felt safe, she could feel the strength is coming back to her body and the exhaustion had been wiped away, an expected effect to take place. It was a very familiar experience when Mashu used to do the same move to protect her and the other Servants from grave situations._

 _But why did he has to use such powerful ability to protect both of them from this storm? Won't the shield alone be enough?_

" _Fujimaru Ritsuka." He called her name._

" _?" And the girl jolted lightly as she snapped out from her thoughts._

 _Before the next word was spoke, a lightning struck directly at the shield Galahad was holding, but the impact didn't seem to have any effect on it._

" _Before, I mentioned to you about Time-Locks and the nature of a world where time is mutable. When a gap manifests in the true course of history, random impossibilities may born from there and it can change many things."_

 _Fujimaru nodded her head, Da Vinci had told her about this once. When a different history arises from the gap of another history, henceforth, the new established course could by chances completely rewrite the entire series of events that happen in the future of the original._

" _When that happens, a new Human Order Foundation will be born. Mankind may have the chance to survive longer in those histories, where its countless possibilities may lead to a better future, ones that they won't ever reach extinction, unlike this one."_

" _W-what are you trying to say?"_

" _You know as you saw it with your own eyes, time has running out in this future of your current world. No matter how much you want to protect humanity, it can never be saved again, not when an unfixable gap is opened in the true course of its history."_

"… _.!"_

 _Fujimaru clearly understood his words. Since Solomon's removal from the history of man consisted of his entire existence as the King of Magic, it was nearly impossible to fill back in the tale of a man who had been wiped off from every records and human's knowledge._

 _Basically, it was similar to how one would try to erase a large stain of dried ink on a blank sheet. They could hide it, cover it with a correction pen but the sheet will never be the same like its first original shape._

" _That is why I keep telling you to stop pursuing Chaldea's objective, because protecting a world which soon reach this future has always been a mistake." It was then, he turned his head to look back at the auburn haired girl. The tone he spoke was neutral."Whether action is taken, this world and its future is fated for destruction to be remade anew. As new histories take over the true course, humanity will lead itself on the path to extinction. Don't you ever wonder that your effort of trying to save it would be meaningless?"_

" _Even so!" Fujimaru said, facing close and stared Galahad directly in the eyes. Her iris burned with resolve met Galahad's stoic one."Even so, I'll say it to you once more! I won't give up, I still have friends and allies next to me! We'll definitely do everything we can to fix this, I'm sure there has to be at least a way!"_

 _The storm grew stronger, lightings barraged Camelot fortress fiercely, more than before. They repeated and repeated in an abnormal way as if it was not entirely nature's doing._

" _I see your point now. Despite the way the world will turn out to be, you still desire to save humanity and everyone around you."_

" _Then-"_

" _Fujimaru Ritsuka, it seems you have yet to fully understand the situation." Said the knight as he shifted his view away from her."It's unfortunate, but your resolve is false."_

… _.eh?_

" _Let's assume there is a way to fix this. However, would that be all there is to it? No, this time, it's not so simple as such."_

 _Fujimaru was confused._

" _Like I said before, you can only know what has to be done until it happened. And when it did, when the time comes, do you think everything is exactly like the same with the Human Incineration Incident? It's different."_

 _Different…..?_

 _If there was a gap, all they need was to restore it by filling back the lost stories about Solomon the King of Magic, just like they how had done with the seven singularities. Wouldn't that be the case? If it was about restoring the legends of a man who was no longer existed in mankind's consciousness and records, Fujimaru had no idea how she could accomplish such an unthinkable feat so there were still the geniuses like Leonardo Da Vinci or_ _ **Sherlock Holmes**_ _._

 _That was supposed to be the idea she could put to use._

 _But now, hearing those words from Galahad, she began to doubt her own and had second thought about this._

… _he said the disaster that caused this future is different from before, even though in general, both are related to the true history._

 _Fujimaru took a moment to ponder over the important details the previous dreams and the current one gave her._

… _.other than the gap itself, when new history is being born out from it….new history…Human Order…no….no way…_

 _In the freezing desert, hence with a storm rampaging the death land, a drop of cold sweat managed to drip down from Fujimaru's forehead. Her body shook, not because of the weather, but because of a single thought that formed in her mind._

" _You've finally realized it." Said Galahad as he noticed the resolve look in Fujimaru's eyes had darkened._

 _Yes, she finally got the grasp of it._

 _It was just a he said, this time, helping the humanity to continue was no longer an option available. No, to precise, it was no longer possible._

" _If a new history is born out of that gap, then so does a new Human Order."_

 _To sum it up, that history will become a separate world with its own kind of humanity, running in parallel with the current world…wrong, parallel was not a term she could use here, it would be a misconception._

 _New histories will overlap the original at the extension of its own world, eventually replacing it as the one and true timeline._

 _It couldn't happen like that, could it?_

… _.I need to ask him._

 _Since Galahad always appears inside these precognitive dreams of her, he must had known something. After all, it wasn't just a coincidence that he mentioned what will become of that history gap in this future._

" _The way the new timeline is born from the gap in our history, it's…it's not a natural phenomenon, isn't it?" Nervous filled her voice, Fujimaru hoped these thoughts in her mind was wrong._

" _No, it's not."_

" _Then, are you telling me someone or something caused it to happen?!" Fujimaru nearly gasped at that respond._

" _That, I do not know. These dreams you're having only give you a vision lies far off in the future."_

 _How did it happen?_

 _When did it start?_

 _What caused it?_

" _These questions, even I don't have the answers to them."_

"…"

" _However, I am certain for one fact. In the new born histories, the human kind will continue to exist and those belonged to this one will face extinction one year later as they take over."_

 _The girl shuddered in fear._

" _Do you understand now, Fujimaru Ritsuka? Even if there is a way to fix this, it will be doing the exact opposite of what you are trying to do."_

 _In other words, to save humanity…._

"… _ **..I'll have to destroy one….?"**_

 _Whispering those words, the auburn haired girl's expression turned paled._

… _this….this can't be real….._

 _So that was why….._

 _That was why the young knight said there are no solution in preventing this upcoming disaster from happening, because there was never a proper way to fix it._

 _This was truly outside her capabilities._

 _From the sky, another spark of thunder struck down to where they stood. The roaring sound it brought and the blazing light it burnt temporarily blinded Fujimaru's vision._

 _On the other side of her eyelids, instead of black, she saw nothing but the blazing white color. Light from that thunder struck her visual sense quite hard._

 _The girl tried to move, she couldn't see so she waved her hands around. The coldness of the desert had stopped and so did the thunderstorm, no more the sound of thunder ringing in her ears._

" _Those histories are not meant to become an alternative timeline. That is why their Human Order will strive against you to make their timeline a truth history, they all have the right to continue exist just like yours." Galahad's voice could be heard nearby._

 _She heard a cracking sound, like something had just snapped opened._

 _The girl opened her eyelids again as her vision came back to normal, this time, she was shocked to find herself in a different location and the Noble Phantasm had also gone._

… _a ruin?_

 _In front of her, Galahad was there, holding an object firmly in his grip. A sword that had been split in half, broken. Turning it backhanded, the knight thrust it down at something lying at his feet and a cry echoed in air._

 _It was a person._

 _Galahad released his grasp from the sword, left it hanging on their body until they disintegrated._

 _Watching the sight gave Fujimaru a shivering sensation, she began to notice more presences surrounding them. They appeared in the form of shadow figures, the girl couldn't make out who they were but she could never mistake the form and outline of their appearances. Most of them resembled the Servants she had summoned and befriended with._

" _This is another vision for you to witness." Galahad said unexpectedly, getting the girl attention to turn to look at him._

" _Witness what?"_

" _How those from the new histories fight their way to annihilate those from the real one."_

 _In the corner of her eyes, Fujimaru saw a figure raised an arrow at her, they pulled the string and released. By the time she could react, Galahad had already caught the arrow aiming at her head by reaching his arm in its path. He did it in such an accurate timing that left the girl stunned for a moment, the tip of the arrow was only a few more inches away from her eyes._

" _And we are their enemy."_

… _..we?_

 _Quickly grabbing Fujimaru's hand, Galahad pulled her into his arm. Camelot in his other hand shielded them from a series of rapid attack. Magic, arrow, gunshot, spear, everything bounded off upon making impact with the holy artifact. Despite that, the assault went on like forever._

… _..why?...why is this happening?_

 _At this point, Fujimaru had to question herself. What was she supposed to do in this circumstance? She couldn't think straight._

" _Fujimaru Ritsuka, seeing this, are you still willing to fight?"_

" _?!"_

 _Both of them stared directly into each other eyes._

"… _..these people want to reclaim back their right to continue exist in their own timeline. As long as the true course exists, the worlds they live in are considered fake even though future possibilities in their worlds are endless and surely better than ours."_

 _Fujimaru narrowed her eyebrows at Galahad's remark._

 _A fire ball hit the shield and it spread upon coming into contact, the intense heat it carried slightly touched Fujimaru's cheek._

 _Fight?_

… _I have to fight them?_

 _She had to do it because they were trying to invade the true timeline and destroy her world?_

 _This was how it really happened a year later?_

 _The world reached its dead end._

 _New histories born from the gap of the true course._

 _Humanity living in those timelines wanted to claim their right to continue existing by invading the current world._

 _A sense of discomfort hit the auburn haired girl._

 _She was willing to fight, she wanted to save everyone. But if this was how she had to face the upcoming disaster these dreams foretold, if saving her own world meant she had to fight these people and destroy their worlds, then….._

 _Then…._

"… _I….I…." The girl stuttered, she shifted her view away from his gaze._

 _Nothing came out._

 _Galahad had his eyes on her, the stoic expression he showed her now turned cold._

 _Perhaps, hearing that much from the Master of hundred Heroic Spirits was enough for him to understand her conviction._

" _I see, half of the message has been conveyed. You're looking at the truth, but then again, those wavering emotions are still lingering in your eyes, you're still conflicted with yourself."_

 _Somewhere in that ruin, a giant beam of light rose up high, piercing through the sky. A yellowish, bright light that came from a holy sword._

 _Fujimaru recognized it instantly, it was a Noble Phantasm belonged to a Saber class Servant._

 _The girl was about to panic while Galahad showed no interest in turning around to look at it. He didn't seem to care if that light hit them or not, nonetheless, the knight never bat an eye at the upcoming strike and kept his focus on her._

" _At this rate, if you can't let go, you will be helpless even if you are supported by many." He continued._

 _Slowly, that light moved. The Noble Phantasm crashed down at the two._

 _The impact shook the ground._

 _Being too closed to where the strike hit the ultimate protection, the poor young Master was exposed to a large amount of energy as well as the extremely loud noise. Fujimaru's vision blurred and her ears went numb for a short moment, she kept hearing a ringing noise as if she was listening to a broken radio._

 _Forcing her eyes to open, the girl was surprised to see the young knight of the Round Table watching her with a calm look, unfazed. The shield he holding had not once wavered._

 _Ah, no wonder why he was described as the Perfect Knight in the legend. A suitable title for someone as such._

 _Even at a moment like this, he was still able to act all composed and collected despite being on the receiving end of the attacks. As if to him, these assaults were amount to nothing._

 _Fujimaru saw Galahad's lip moved as he was saying something to her._

" _In the end, you hesitate, unsure about what you should be doing. Fujimaru Ritsuka, you said you will do everything to protect humanity and those around you. But…"_

 _The girl couldn't help but widening her eyes in bewilderment._

… _..stop…..…_

 _She knew what he was about to say, it was not something that could easily be forgotten when she woke up._

… _..please! Don't say it!_

 _She was not ready to hear them, the next words he spoke._

" _ **Can you [….]?"**_

 _After that…_

 _Everything went white._

 _The precognitive dream of Fujimaru Ritsuka came to an end._

… _._

… _._

"… _."_

 _Slowly opening her eyes, she meet a plain ceiling. Fujimaru woke up from her sleep, feeling awfully tired._

 _She looked at the clock and didn't surprise to see the time was still over midnight. Forcing herself up, the girl wiped off the cold sweat lingered on her forehead._

… _that dream again….._

 _She had another dream, it was the same one she had seen many time before. The memories was still fresh in her mind and this time, what happened inside the dream just now, she remembered it well._

 _Words from a certain young knight appeared in her head once more as Fujimaru tried to recall. Upon hearing it, for a second, her mind nearly went blank._

… _ **Can you really have the heart to destroy other worlds so you can save yours?...**_

 _That one sentence he spoke, those were the words she was afraid to hear. She couldn't bear to listen but it sunk so deeply in her head._

"… _.save humanity…." The girl mumbled quietly to no one."…..by destroying one….."_

 _To save one world, she would have to make the others, which soon born from the current gap, disappear. Something like that, Fujimaru couldn't never do it._

 _She felt disturbed._

 _She felt frightened._

 _She felt the ideal of protecting and saving she has been holding into began to crumble._

 _Only one more year before this current world became a giant wasteland just like its future in the dream. Then there were the people, the Heroic Spirits from new born timelines, those who wish to let their worlds continue to exist will also invade this timeline._

 _No, the amount of time left could maybe even lesser than that. The reason why it started was unknown, there was no other choice but to wait until it happened._

 _When it happened, when it was finally the time to save the world once more._

 _It won't be a battle between good and evil._

 _It won't be a battle between what was right or wrong._

 _It all will come down to either destroy or be destroyed._

 _A battle of survival._

 _Understanding how cruel fate was, the last Master of Chaldea trembled. All this happened…._

… _.all this happened because we created a gap in our own history._

" _ **Dr. Roman**_ _." Fujimaru whispered that name in a small, delicate tone."…..I'm sorry."_

… _I thought I saved this world from being burned in the incinerated flame by defeating Geotia and Lev._

 _But turned out, his sacrifice and her effort brought a calm period to the world at the cost of creating another great catastrophe. This peace they had was just a temporary while the Human Order itself was steadily coming toward a dead end._

 _She fought to save the world, to protect those in troubles. Everything she did throughout the Human Incineration Incident was not wrong. However, the result came out was entirely contradict to her belief._

 _This was the truth Fujimaru Ritsuka could not accept._

 _The auburn haired girl lied back down on her back, pulling the blanket over her face. Staring into the darkest space inside, the girl felt something wet slowly glided down from a corner of her eyes._

 _At this time, she could only mutter a single line._

"… _..what have I been fighting for?"_

 _That night, in sadness and without anyone knowing, Fujimaru wept alone, until dawn._

/

* * *

 **Author's note: And that's the end of this chapter.**

 **What do you think?**

 **There were some details of Fate lore added in this second part of the story, they gave you an insight to the problems Fujimaru was enduring. I hope that work out well. Since this world Kamijou shifted to was an AU of FGO, the event in Moonlight/Lostroom anime happened sooner than the canon timeline. I thought I should say that to help you understand the exact time this crossover takes place.**

 **To be honest, I would love to make my rambling a bit longer but by the time I wrote these lines, it was already midnight here so that would be all.**

 **R** ** ** ** **eview the chapter if you please, criticism is also greatly appreciate. I will see you again in the next note.********


	4. Lost-The-Sanity

**I'm back, and with a completely different stand-alone chapter. I apologize if you're waiting for the final part of a strange fate, the story's progress is currently underway.  
**

 **Actually, this is one of the original ideas I came up when the first draft of Lost Light was written. It was finished a long time ago but since I decided to go for a...how do you say it..."lesser painful end"? Yeah, a "lesser painful end" for the spiky haired boy, and use that to build up tear-jerking moments after his demise, the current story of TLL became how it should be.**

 **In order words, this is a one-shot that has nothing to do with the original plot of Lost Light. I totally forgot about its existence when my laptop busted. Until I dig up some dirt from my old USB recently, this one-shot has been revived.**

 **What you're about to read below i** ** **s a different story with the same concept but has a far more darker tone (Still, it won't be anywhere near An Unexplainable Nightmare).** I only added in some changes like adding a few more lines and fixing some typos.**

 **WARNING: Since this has a darker tone, expect a slight M rated scenario (violence, blood, etc). And to all readers who want to see Touma suffer, prepare your popcorn.**

 **Now, enjoy~.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own To Aru Majutsu no Index series.**

* * *

 **(Present)**

 **(Current Date: Unknown; Time: Unknown)**

For a moment, everything was dark.

The air was heavy, more than anything a normal person could handle, more than everything a regular high school boy could handle on his own.

There was only him.

In a place that seemed to keep stretching out and reach to no end, a normal high school boy you can find anywhere was moving in that pitch black darkness.

[*gasping*]

He ran.

He was mustering every strength in that body of his to keep his mind stable and forced his leg to carry himself forward as fast as it could.

From underneath, the strange splashing sound of something similar to water echoed repeatedly in each steps he took.

…come on….the exit….where is the exit?!

The normal high school boy waved non-stop the "torch" he was holding in his left hand, sharing some light for his view to find the correct way in a seemingly spacious area.

More than a wooden torch, its body was made of solid material. The light it carried has never been fire. Instead, the illusionary, small source of bright particles appeared on top the "torch" head worked more like a light bulb that was on the verge of burning out.

Light it provided was so dim he could hardly see anything.

Yet, he kept moving forward without a care.

In this kind of place, he told himself that no matter where he went to, he must absolutely not turn back.

Absolutely…..was the only word he needed to persuade himself and keep his sanity in check.

Right now, it might even be the only word that he has to use in every situations.

He was clearly desperate.

[!]

Stumbling on his feet, he felt down and the splashing sound just won't stop. It resounded, repeated and repeated, spreading into the void like a chilling melody.

[*coughing*]

The red substance flew into his mouth as he accidently gasped during the fall.

Unlike water, its taste was horrible. It was much worse than that one time when he had to swallow a piece of raw meat in other to survive in one of the hellish phases Othinus had put him in.

…damn it….so bitter….

He felt like he wanted to vomit at the rotten smell it carried. The smell was somewhat familiar. However…

It wasn't like anything he has experienced so far.

It was so disturbing.

It was so sickening that the atmosphere was filled by nothing more than a single rotten, heavy stench.

The boy knew so well what it was and he didn't try to deny it.

He was aware of it but at the same time he didn't want to think about it.

Light on the "torch" was still there as it stuck inside something like a medium size rock with small holes, floating gently above the surface of the red substance.

The boy, whose face and the gravity defied hair now dried red by the smelly substance, tried to sit up straight while wiping off the wet sensation on his eyelid and spat out the horrible taste inside his mouth.

Although he managed to gather himself just in time to keep himself up before his black hoodie could get wet, some parts of his pant has become all wet, reeking strongly the decaying, pungent odor of a rotten death corpse.

Nevertheless, without even catching a single breath, the boy quickly launched himself toward the "torch", grabbed it and continued on, sprinting ahead into the darkness.

After a while, his steps started to become heavier as the red substance level rose to his knee.

….it's rising?

The more he moved, the more his body shrunk deeper into the liquid.

Could not stand the terrible smell was getting thicker and floated into his nose, the spiky haired boy inhaled a deep breath and held it in.

He kept on walking just like that, the boy can no longer tell how much time has passed ever since the last time he saw the tiny single ray of light of the entrance disappeared behind his back.

To reach to the other side of this world, this path was his only choice to cross.

He was doing everything he could to get out of this place.

He deeply regret it, for making this decision.

However, he would hate himself even more if he didn't stand up against this.

No, he was indeed trying to stand up against this cursed situation.

But now…

The boy stopped in his track, rather than the red substance now became dried and stuck on his head, the blood in his face drained out leaving nothing more than a paled expression as he stared at the wall made out of the things that wasn't for the weak-hearted to look at.

Under the dim light of the "torch", he narrowed his eyes in discomfort.

But now…he didn't know how much longer he should be able to endure, to carry the burdens that has been pressing down on his shoulder alone.

Corruption.

Blood.

Twisted shape of bones.

Giant mass of tissue.

Deformed, raw flesh of indescribable forms.

The hands, the heads, the legs, the bodies with no way to recognize of many unknown organic beings.

All those stuff were mixed in together and pinched against the rusty wall. It didn't end in one spot, it spread through the entire place like paint, even the ceiling, depicting itself as a natural part of this world.

From just taking a single glance at it, one couldn't help but ask themselves in disgust as if someone was throwing up their own guts all over the wall.

The boy looked around frantically and moved closer to the disturbing wall. He wasn't bothered much by the content of what was displayed before his very eyes.

Nonetheless, he just waved the "torch" around the wall to find for an open gap so he could break through and get out of here.

The boy simply didn't want to linger in this darkness any longer.

It would made him an easy prey.

[…]

As he stood there in ponder, several inhuman screams echoed all the way behind him, making him jolt up in respond and spun his whole body around in caution.

The aggressive, piercing tones once again erupted from somewhere in that pitch darkness. Anxiety began to fill the emotion on his face.

 **Swish!**

Tightening his grip on the "torch", the spiky haired boy violently slammed its knob against the wall made of meat.

 **Swish!**

 **Swish!**

 **Swish!**

He repeated, repeated and repeated the same action on one spot until the tissue of that place was messed up so bad and dent in so deep that it started bleeding out the same red liquid substance that covered half of his lower body.

It was then, the splashing sound of water echoed in the distance.

Something was coming.

The boy quickly stole a glance over his shoulder to observe with his nervousness raised to the extreme.

[!]

His eyes widened.

There, moving in the dark curtain that covered his surrounding was a monstrous being with no head, only a deformed body with what seemed to be the remaining of skeleton and rotten flesh of meat enveloped in a thin layer of torn skin.

With no way to escape, the boy fully shifted his focus on the dark creature as it let out the familiar inhuman screams from earlier.

The creatures roared, threatening to tear him apart with the sharp claws grew out on both arms.

The boy wavered.

Knowing every fibers in his body was shaking slightly at the death threat, he gritted his teeth, so tight that he could almost feel his jam hurt.

Then…

Without a moment of hesitation, the boy plunged the "torch" on his left hand directly into the red substance beneath him, extinguishing the only light source he has.

As the dim light was put out, a clash immediately followed as darkness swallowed him whole along with the monstrous being.

…

…

…

* * *

 **(December 2Xth, 9:23 P.M)**

 _ **[KKhskrshrkshrr!]**_

 _ **[KRHKSRSrhskrhrkhrrr!]**_

… **..**

 _..._

"… _.ne, ne_ _ **[khkKkHSrRrrr]**_ _"_

 _The boy turned around, looking at a certain nun while he put down a notebook as she called out to him._

 _[Hm? What is it, Index?]_

" _The New Year annual festival will be held in next week!"_

 _Raising an eyebrow at the mention, the boy placed the right hand, which was wrapped in bandage, onto his chin and looked up to the ceiling._

 _[Oh really? Now that you mention it, it's almost at the end of this year.]_

"… _.uhm..."_

 _[And by next week, it's when we are going to welcome the New Year on January 1st.]_

" _...uhm!"_

 _[Heh~, time sure flies fast, huh…..so what is this about that makes you jump up and down in excitement?]_

 _He shifted his gaze back to the young girl in white habit._

" _ **[DkhskarijKsgorr]**_ _, do you have any plan for that day?"_

 _[Hm, of course there are some stuff I want to do during the New Year's Day, but I haven't planned anything ahead yet. Still, I'm pretty sure Komoe-sensei is going to invite us to have another party celebration with her class on that day…...wait just a minute. Index, why are you looking at me with those big, glittering eyes?]_

" _ **[KSjrstousdjsfma],**_ _can I make a small request?"_

 _The young nun moved closer and leaned toward him with her cheek painted a deep shade of red._

 _[Y-yeah, I'm listening…but Index, you should need to do something about those pink backgrounds behind you soon. It's probably just my imagination, but I think I'm getting a weird vibe from that and the cute face you're trying to put on.]_

 _The nun narrowed her eyes dangerously at the words, a haunting voice started flowing out from her mouth like a dark curse._

" _ **[Tokskhrrumaskjr],**_ _what do you mean when you said trying to put on? Are you saying I'm not cute?"_

 _[Wrong! I'm not saying you are not cute, I'm saying that forced expression on your face doesn't amount anything to the real cuteness I see in you. To me, you are always cute, Index!]_

" _R-really?!"_

 _The deep shade of red on the girl's cheek became real by the sudden declaration. The young nun couldn't help but let her lip slowly, voluntarily formed into a happy smile._

 _[Yup, like a little sister!]_

 _A scream of terror echoed across the world after that._

… _.._

… _._

 _ **Ks!**_

…

… _.._

 _[I'm sorry, I shouldn't have make that nonsense joke.]_

 _The boy rubbed the bite mark on his head while apologetically sat on the floor in seiza posture._

"… _..n-nonsense….hmph!_ _ **[Touksma]**_ _is so insensitive, and here I believed you really think I'm cute."_

 _[Okay, hold it right there! I knew it, this is not an illusion! Something is not right with that speech pattern! Who made you act this way?! You sound so much like those cliché characters in that anime Aogami lent…me….wait, don't tell me, you watched it?!]_

" _Human, you're speaking too loud."_

 _From on top the shelf, Othinus spoke up as she sat near the edge, yawning with a hand covered her mouth in her usual, revealing attire. She has just came out from the small doll house placed behind her after taking a good nap._

" _I overheard your conversation. Conveniently, I also have a small request I want to make with you but let's put that behind for a bit. I really can't leave what you've just commented about the nun. Is she that appealed in your eyes? And from the look on your face, that anime you're talking about sounds suspicious."_

 _[Please don't twist my word, Othinus, I see Index as an important friend and a little sister.]_

 _The young nun in white habit pouted with a tick mark began visible on her head again._

" _ **[Touma]**_ _, that is actually hurt. Don't you have anything else you want to say to me? Am I not that much appealed in your eyes?"_

 _[….um….Index, I have a feeling this conversation isn't going anywhere so let's just drop this and get back to where we started.]_

"… _.uuu~, you dodge my question."_

" _It's just my curiosity but I've been wanting to ask you about this, too. How do you see me in your heart, human?"_

 _As she was asking, the former Magic God turned her head to the side with a tingle of pinks started visible on her cheek._

 _But instead of answering, the boy just stared at the two girls in dumbfounded._

 _[…my heart…..alright, there is definitely something fishy about these questions, one of the world's most important holiday is coming in next week so what exactly you two are planning when you're asking me those? If it is something you both want for the festival then you can just say it straight to me, I'm always listening.]_

 _The boy calmly said that but he didn't prepare of what comes next from the two freeloaders._

" _ **I want [Touma]."**_

" _ **Human, I want you."**_

 _[Kamijou] was speechless._

"… _..to make the osechi and zouni soup for us."_

"… _.and borrow that flash light from your friend for me."_

 _[…..]_

 _Still speechless….._

" _[Touma], are you listening to me? Why are you facing the wall all of sudden?"_

 _Like the nun said, the spiky haired boy was pressing his forehead against the wall while he patted his chest gently and sighed in relief._

 _[….so…so dangerous…..my heart almost skips a beat there.]_

 _Enough mumbling by himself, the spiky haired boy immediately spun around._

 _[Both of you! That was way too misleading! What is this?! Is this a new form of bullying?! Index, don't stop halfway in the middle of your sentence, depend on the content, people might get strange ideas from that! And Othinus, don't make it sounds like you are trying to mix the dere dere character into your S mode. That kind of combination is too harmful for this [Kamijou]-san's heart!]_

" _I see, even simple words such as those can be easily misinterpreted by you. Human, do you need me to give you divine punishment again to set your mind straight? Now, hurry up and go get that flash light for me, that way I can give you a more efficient lecture about decency."_

 _[There! There is it! You're back to your regular S mode again, aren't you?!]_

 _The boy didn't have much to counter against the rapidly assault from the two freeloaders. In the end, it all ended with only one question._

" _[Touma], was it true? Did that mean you were having impure thoughts about me and Othinus?"_

 _[…..…..]_

 _Silence filled the air._

 _The boy glanced to the side, scratching his head for a few seconds and looked back at the two girls in the room. By now, Othinus has already made her way down from the shelf and sat with her leg crossed on the back of Sphynx the calico cat, who was currently cuddling up into a ball shape on the table._

 _Along with the nun, they both stared intensely at the boy, waiting for his mouth to open and give them a reasonable respond._

 _If it's not, a deadly combo will await._

 _[…well, how should I put this? When I heard it-I mean when I misheard it from you two and misunderstood..…] The boy put on a face that couldn't be any more passive.[I felt…_ _ _…_ goose bumps.]_

… _._

…

 _ **Kkhskrsrhr!**_

… _.._

… _._

 _[I'm sorry! I'm truly sorry, Index! Please retract your teeth! I didn't mean to put it that way! All I just wanted to say was that I felt something chilling crawled down my spine at the time! Not a single perverted thought about you ever cross my mind, I swear!]_

" _[Touma], that is no different than before! Yet, not a single impure thought? Wasn't that even worse?! How could you say something like that to a girl?! I'm still growing!"_

 _[Wait! That isn't something a nun should be saying!]_

" _Let me tell you this, as a God, I would never find myself getting irritated this much at your denseness. But as someone who is also sharing the same mutual understanding and feeling with the nun, my pride as a girl has been trampled on badly. How dare you hurt a God's pride, human?! And how long are you intending to hide in the bathroom?! Come out here and accept your punishment!"_

 _[Kamijou Touma] was currently in the bathroom, shutting the door tight with him making full use of his body weight to press against it to prevent the two fearsome forces outside the door from entering._

 _Sweat streamed down on his forehead like rain._

 _His door was rumbling madly with the hitting sound._

 _After a moment, it stopped._

" _[Touma], you should make atone for what you have done, just open the door and pray for God that he will cleanse your sin. I'm not mad anymore so I will help you to send your voice to him."_

 _[Are you sure, Index? Are you sure you're not mad at me anymore? Because I'm having a déjà vu with those words of yours.]_

" _It's alright, I mean it. There can be times a person may repeat the same mistake again and again. But knowing the kind of person [Touma] is, I still believe in you, I know you will always redeem yourself and learn from your past mistakes. That is why I will forgive you [Touma], so please open this door and let me deliver your prayer to the God."_

 _[…]_

 _Hesitating for a bit, the boy thought about the words the young nun spoke._

 _He reached for the doorknob, the door slowly opened as he pushed and the figures of Index and Othinus stood there in front of him with a bright aura around them._

" _[Touma]." Index smiled thinly._

" _Very good, human. You've finally come out…" Othinus fixed her witch-liked hat and calmly said."Now, time to give you divine punishment."_

 _[What happened to the whole 'I will forgive you'?! Such misfortuuunnnneeeeeeeee!]_

 _Ultimately, another scream of terror echoed across the world on the very same day._

… _._

… _._

 _ **KSHkshrssfhafjssf #snf*THAED*gdijeo*OT*krk*MIH*rrr!**_

…

… _._

 _[Then, in other word, you want to eat the New Year's dishes in that holiday?]_

 _Said the boy as he applied the first-aid bandage onto several places with bite marks on his head._

" _Yes, yes! Since it only available in one day every year, I want to taste everything the traditional New Year's foods this culture can offer during the festival and the holiday itself!_ Datemaki, konbu, broiled fish cake, red sea-bream, black soybeans, bitter orange, zouni soup with mochi rice cakes in both clear broth and miso broth, dried sardines cooked in soy sauce, egg roulade, simmered shrimp, grilled lobster, sushi and sweets~! _"_

 _[Kamijou Touma] turned paled at the long list of foods the nun listed out. Feeling like his mind could not progress the extremely high demand that took shape in full verbal form of Index, he went straight to the highest form of prostration beyond dogeza._

 _Lying flat on the floor with hands clasped above the head._

 _[I beg of you, Index! Please have mercy on my wallet, I can manage to buy and make some of the stuff you listed out but….lobster?! That is totally out of the question! I know it's a must have ingredient for osechi but I am nothing more than a normal high school student with a part-time job!]_

" _Human, I understand you have to throw away your dignity and go all the way down to ask forgiveness from that gluttonous side of the nun. But unless you forget, God is the one whom she devotes her life to serving while that Gotaitouchi gesture you're doing reserved for Buddha only. It's the right moment, right place and appropriate situation but you used it on the wrong person."_

 _Passively, Othinus took the time to chime in and explain. The calico cat below her let out a "nyaa~" as the former God of war rest her elbows on its head and lied down on the smooth fur, continuing in watching the spiky haired boy wasted his own time to prostrate._

… _._

… _._

 _ **KSHKRHSsfjfhrk*ESARE*eianrjoenro*EHT*oejksrjk#$vkd*EULAV*sfskk*FO*krsrfcrkrkh308rchufe*YHT*ccniaSKr*EFIL*iKrr!**_

… _._

…

 _The conversation went on for a while._

 _Finally, it settled with a condition from the boy._

" _Eh? [Touma], you will let me cook with you?"_

 _[That's right. Index, if you are so insisting in eating the entire selection dishes of osechi and zouni then you are going to help me making them in the kitchen.] The boy lightly waved his arm to the side.[I mean just take a look at our finances here. At this rate, I'm going to need to work over time to increase my salary this month if we want to eat the full menu of traditional foods in the holiday. Plus, not to mention the annual festival so tell that bottomless stomach of yours to spare my wallet a little bit or else noodle will be the only thing to keep us going for the whole next month.]_

 _Being told to restraint her appetite, Index pouted cutely. [Kamijou] didn't spend a moment to witness that as he turned to Othinus next._

 _[Also, Othinus, about that flash light, tomorrow I'll ask my friend to let me borrow it for a few days so you're going to help me with the cooking too.]_

" _?" The fairy size girl raised an eyebrow at the unexpected words, her lip moved to say something but stopped as [Kamijou] quickly spoke._

 _[Even if you and Index have almost no experience in culinary skills or even if misfortune decides to make a mess out of my life during the holiday, this [Kamijou]-san will keep an eye on the quality of the foods while we cook it together. Kitchen explores, gas leaks, my apartment turns to rubbles, meteor crashes the Earth, I don't care. There is no way I allow it to go down so no need to worry about it.]_

"… _.human…"_

"… _...[Touma], can I really cook?"_

 _A thin smile crossed his face._

 _[It's really enjoyable to eat something made by your own hand so I'll be right next to you to teach you how to make the osechi, Index.]_

 _The young nun in white habit nodded her head in excitement._

 _Othinus also had no objection to the idea._

 _[That decides it then.] The boy stood up and declared in a clear voice.[Index, Othinus, the annual festival will happen in next week, when the time comes, I want all of us to enjoy the remaining time of this year and prepare for the coming one. Let's make it so we can have an absolutely delicious meat on the very first day of the New Year!]_

 _Index raised both hand, happily punching the air at the declaration._

 _The fairy size girl nodded her head in acknowledgement while The calico cat let out another short "nyan~" like it was trying to say "Well, I guess I just have to continue to do my best being a mascot character for the next year then."_

 _[Ah, that's right, Sphinx, I'm going to let you wear a collar, too. We can't let you run around the town like that forever without anything to help people distinct you from a stray cat.]_

" _Nyan~." (Why thank you~.)_

 _[It's nothing.]_

" _Nyan?"_

" _Eh? [Touma], what is it that you were saying?"_

 _Index blinked at him in wonder._

 _The boy stretched his arms and relaxed, he didn't seem to pay any heel for that question of the nun._

 _[Well, considering it's done, now I need to make a list of ingredients I should buy tomorrow. Let's hope they still have a discount on lobsters.]_

 _[Kamijou] torn a paper from the small notebook he placed on the table and began writing with a pencil prepared beforehand inside his pocket._

… _.._

… _.._

 _ **KKSHrskrhskfeaiojf31h9fje# RSHKSfjcks*ESARE*kscjkkshkrsc*YHT*sccijea 2ad*ECNETSIXE*skKKHSKRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrr!**_

… _._

… _._

 _While he wrote it down, the former Magic God got off the cat and went to him. With a hand pulled down the witch-liked hat to cover her face for some reason, she called him as her small form stood next to his note._

" _Human."_

 _[Hm?]_

" _I'll be honest, that was unheard of you to let me take part in the culinary activities of the mortal. Just like you have said, I am a former God of war, I have no experience and my knowledge about this kind of domain is very limited. This will be a good change of pace for me….so….." Othinus raised her hat up, showing the boy a small smile with the faint tingle of red visible on her cheeks."I'll be looking forward to your way of teaching me of how to cook."_

 _[….yeah….same here, I'm sure I'm going to enjoy spending time making foods together with you and Index.]_

 _[Kamijou] said those words with a kind look in his eyes that was unintentionally showed to the girls. He didn't aware some particular words in his sentence brought heat to their cheeks._

 _Even the dense boy himself had a fearsome combination that could strike their hearts without noticing._

"… _.saying such thing with a straight face..…" Sighing, Othinus turned away and muttered quietly to herself."...if only you were less dense, human…."_

… _.._

… _.._

 _ **KHSKe*ESARE*4%nsdhTIirKSKsdss*MORF*saHSr2d4*EHT*fdkk*YROMEM*skhrksfhsgsshkr*FO*hrSRHSRKshkh*SIHT*ksjsKRHRKsfe*DLROW*fsfsfRHRRrrrrr!**_

… _ **.**_

… _ **.**_

 _The movement of [Kamijou]'s hand suddenly stopped, the spiky haired boy slightly widened his eyes in wondering as he looked around the room._

 _[Hey, did you two hear that strange sound?]_

 _Blinking at him with one eyes, Othinus shook her head as she didn't know what the boy meant. Index also titled her head to the side as she had no idea what he was talking about._

 _[Kamijou] shifted his view toward the small window next to his bed._

 _Outside, the evening cold wind was grazing against its hard frame. Snow was slowly piling up on the rooftop of the neighboring house._

 _ **Ding Dong!**_

 _Then, came the ringing sound of the doorbell._

" _[Touma], the doorbell."_

 _[Coming!]_

 _[Kamijou] stood up from the kotatsu and made his way to the door. Lights on the wall began blinking for no reason. The strange phenomena happened in a few seconds before it stopped._

 _Standing there right in front of the door, the boy turned his head back to see of something was wrong with the electricity in his home._

 _Lights on the wall started blinking again and automatically turned off for good as if the things were being toyed with by an invisible force._

" _Eh?"_

"… _a blackout?"_

" _Nyan~."_

 _ **Ding Dong!**_

 _In the room where darkness had moved in without invitation, the doorbell continued to ring._

 _Knowing something was wrong, [Kamijou] looked back at the door, grabbing the doorknob with his left hand while he raised his other hand which was wrapped in bandage up._

 _With a clicking sound, the door opened a small gap._

 _It was then…_

 _It was then…_

 _It was then…._

 _ **KKarkrejakrrealjehg2ew233wefwe*HTAED*a8wcfei/mmqAsafeeMfEDWIMWNas &*OT*fasf$s*RUOY*ffaefSA#*DLROW* ajf3cwe048wj*EHT*# E F5%4*ENIGAMI*42jx9mj*REKAERB*dfajoemoefKRKSKHRKRrrrrrrrrrrr!**_

…...

….

….

….

….

….

….

….

It was then…

After that evening…

 **Everything about [HIM] started falling apart.**

… _ **...**_

….

….

…

* * *

 **(Present)**

 **(Current Date: Unknown; Time: Unknown)**

…..egg roulade…grilled lobster, next is…what was it again?

Looking at the small paper where the list of ingredient was written on, [Kamijou Touma] muttered each name on the list but stumbled at the last two that he has yet to memorize.

The list was left unfinished.

…..next is…..

The spiky haired boy closed his eyes for further concentration as he tried to recall the rest of one of the memories that have been keeping him sane and alive to this moment.

…the next one…..is….ah….

He couldn't remember it.

Letting out a small sigh and putting the paper away into a small notebook, the boy set his feet back into the red, smelly substance again and tiredly got off the corpse of the monstrous being which he was using it as a place to keep his feet dried from the wet environment by sitting on it.

The "torch" was there, violently thrust deep into the flesh of the monster's torso. Not only that, various places on the thing's body were bleeding a black liquid from several round shape wounds as it was being impaled rapidly.

However, it was not dead.

It was still alive but too weak to be able to do anything or have the strength to devour the human boy who has wrecked its physical body to this extent.

Without hesitation, the boy grabbed the "torch" and pulled it out from the badly wounded monster.

The monstrous being let out a weak roar as a part of its already rotten flesh became even more messed up at the merciless act.

Voicelessly, the boy moved his right arm toward it, revealing the right hand wrapped in a deep red layer of bandage, which was slowly torn off piece by piece.

Something was wrong about the right hand covered in what seemed to be the remaining of the bandage.

It looked almost like the hand was bleeding like it was injured.

It looked almost like the fingers was broke as two of them were twisted and bent backward like the bone inside was dislocated at every joints in a very painful way.

[Kamijou] flinched for a short moment, he realized the idea of touching the thing with this hand was a waste of time.

With the current condition of the right hand, it was impossible to erase its existence from this hell.

Then…

The tip of the "torch" began brightening a dim light again like a small light bulb ran by a weak amount of electricity.

[...I'm sorry…]

The boy retracted his arm, dropping it to his side.

Emotionlessly, he turned away, continuing to walk along the disturbing wall to look for an open gap and left the deformed existence there to its own fate.

At this moment, he didn't aware…

As he turned his back against the monster and descended further into the distance, he could hear the grumbling sound steadily reached to his ear from behind along with the sound of something like a meat being repeatedly torn apart under the sharp fang of an aggressive animal.

After walking for some time, [Kamijou] titled his head to look back at the source of the eerie noise.

As he did so, an intense, sharp pain violently smacked him in the face.

And he was sent flying through the air.

…..

...

...

[Kamijou] could feel blood rushing to his head as his view became blurry.

Yet, he couldn't careless of what just happened.

He could tell his leg started to become heavier as he forced them to move.

Yet, he couldn't stop his body and let himself get a good rest.

After experiencing firsthand the kind of pain similar to being slammed at in the face with full force by a hammer, the boy didn't back down. He backed on his feet almost instantly and desperately tried to run away, to escape from a humanoid creature whom he has no idea when it sneaked from behind him.

It gave him a fatal blow so hard that he could feel the heavily swollen spot on his right cheek was sunken in.

[Kamijou] couldn't catch a glimpse of his enemy but he could hear a crushing sound echoed behind him.

However, he knew.

The creature was chewing something in its mouth and the monstrous being from before was no longer there, being decapitated by the boy has made it too weak to continue the role of a haunting predator.

So as being a part of the nature of this hell, its value has dropped down to the bottom of the food chain and became the stepping stone, the food for the other beings to freely devour.

[Kamijou] was never a part of this world.

In the eyes of all the life forms living in here, he was treated as their nemesis due to the special nature of his very own existence.

He was a prey.

A small prey against a world filled with predators.

…light?...the exit?!

A single ray of light made itself known in front of [Kamijou].

Eventually, he ended up in a small area where a stairway-liked structure was built and went all the way up to a large hole. The open sky was there on the other side.

Like the wall, its decay, rusty surface was covered up by a mixture of something like meat and tissue.

Not giving a single care about the condition of the surrounding, [Kamijou] followed the way up and ran as fast he could while the humanoid creature has just reached out to the dim light came from above.

However, just like the usual, misfortune choked his neck at the worst possible time.

In a moment of hurried, his foot slipped on a small pond of the red substance that lingered on some of the steps. By reflex, [Kamijou] managed to grab the handle and kept his balance altogether. But such effort was quick to end up useless as [Kamijou] used his right hand to grab the rusty pipe of a rail.

With a rough sensation spread from the hand to his entire right arm, the boy unconsciously let loose his grip.

[Ghh!]

He felt down, crashing his back all over the bloody, rusty treads.

[Kamijou] landed back at where the entrance to the dark corridor lied, the boy clutched his head in pain. But it was only for a moment before the humanoid creature crawled on top of him and pinned him down with its weight pressing against his stomach. He was already in its deadly claws.

The dark citizen of this world opened its mouth, readied to devour him while its saliva freely dripped on the boy's hoodie.

[Kamijou] wriggled as horror started taking over him, a piece of meat or what was left of the previous creature was still there, sticking between this monster's pointy teeth.

Then, in the next second….

Like many petals of cherry blossom fell from the tree.

Many drops of blood rained down all over his face.

…

…

 **KHKshrsojafaohfowhWsswajfjiao4casnc1mcejfshjkSJKRsrrr!**

 **KHSRKshKSHrksfoahejfihruWRskjarrr…[ wElL…]…KSRrshkf!**

 **KSHRKshkhisKSHkrsrhjdrisrhKSRHRIIR2rfoi…[HoW wAS iT?]….KHSrkjsRr!**

 **KHSRSHKRKSrsSOAHOEJAAOD#1^wfaheo...[hOW DiD IT feEl lIKe tO haVe yOuR HaNd tAinTed wiTh blOoD?]….KSrksrhkrrr!**

 **KKSHHRISRJRrshShsohfs…[tO ThINk YoU wOuLD Go aGAiNst your oWn naTurE, thE bOunDaRy bEtwEen gOod aNd EViL TruLy iS tHIn.]…..kjsrkrrr!**

 **KHSRKshrskrrsrhsrhsr…[AftEr uNdeRgoNe tHrOugh oH sO maNy orDealS In tHiS woRlD, YoU haVe fInallY cOmE To uNdeRstAnd tHe vAluE Of tHat pItIfUl eXisTeNce oF yOUrs.]…..KHRskjrrr!**

 **KHSKskskfoEHASJFOEhe….[dEsPAir cAn bE a VeRy LUxuRiOus tHinG tO eNjoY, bOY. iT IS A dRivEN FeElInG tHat bRinGs yOu OVer tHE EdGe oF sAniTy.]…KHsksjsrr!**

…

…

The air was still, everything was still.

Blood sprayed on [Kamijou]'s face while a sharp glint became visible in his widened eyes.

Blood slowly dripped down his clothe as he was shielding himself with his right arm outstretched by reflex.

Blood couldn't stop flowing out like a mad stream of a river in rainy season as the monster's teeth dig into the flesh of his arm.

As if the flow of time has been frozen, the prey and the predator were no longer moving.

[Kamijou] moved his left arm, which also outstretched toward the humanoid creature. The sound of something wet being cut began echoing in his ear like a small whisper.

It came from the head of the monster on top him, from the hole that was made by the sharp end of the "torch".

That "torch" was still there, binding its tip in between the rotten flesh of the creature's head.

And the left hand of the boy was still gripping firmly on that object's handle.

Black substance streamed out, it dripped down onto the right arm caught in between the creature's mouth and onto the boy's hoodie.

Something unexpected has happened.

The blood that stained his face was not of his blood, it was from the humanoid had slammed the sharp end of the "torch" right in between the eyes of the aggressive monster.

 **[Kamijou] has committed an act against his very nature.**

Still keeping his hand on the weapon, the boy pushed the lifeless monster to the side. [Kamijou] lied there on the wet floor, filling the air in his lung with a moment of taking a deep breath.

But the ordeal didn't seem to stop there.

A horrendous howl came from the bottom of the stair way, screaming like the sound of a thousand lighting terrorizing through the earth.

Danger was approaching.

Knowing that the word safety didn't exist in this hell, the boy forced himself to move again as he pulled the "torch" from the creature's himself.

….it stuck?!

Even when the right hand has become unusable, misfortune still bare its fang at him.

The surrounding began shaking.

[….things shouldn't have turned out like this.….]

They say that the border between good and bad is a very thin line. By stepping over the boundary, a person might have a chance of heart.

[….well….I really want to think of it like that…..]

[Kamijou] has commit an act against his nature so in this case, it won't be good nor bad anymore. If there was a thin line drawn between such choices, he wouldn't step over it, he would step on it, facing both light and darkness.

To him, that thin line has become blurry from when he could no longer remember.

[…but if I still keep that kind of thought in my head while moving around in your people's world, if this keep going I may end up getting myself killed sooner or later…..so.…..]

Releasing his grasp from the object, the boy let out a small sigh.

In order to retrieve his one and only light source that stuck deep in the contents of this creature's head, [Kamijou] delivered a kick with great force into the object body. The sound of breaking bone mixed in together with the loud roar from below the depth.

[I'll just have to make the first move.]

With zero hesitation, the boy ran up the stair after he had **mercilessly crushed its head**.

…..

The entire area was shaking madly.

Racing over the bloody, rusty treads of the long stairway, [Kamijou] was closer to the open sky than he could ever wish for.

…..almost there….

Everything around him collapsed in an abnormal way, the owner of the thundering howl from down below has done something to cause this much impact. He has to reach it, that entrance was the only path he absolutely must take to get out from this hell hole.

[Gak!]

The boy trip as one of the large rubbles crashed down onto the treads behind him, making the whole path crumbled down in an instant. The stair was so rusty that it could not even held against a small collision. Thankfully, [Kamijou] managed to regain his balance and jump out of the giant spiral stairway as it detached from the wall.

A series of noise echoed loudly through the air for a while.

The next thing [Kamijou] turned around to check, the howling voice has stopped, only rubbers piled up in the ruin beneath.

The boy took a moment to control his breath and continued to move on. At this moment, the open world filled his eyes as he stood in front of a large hole that gave him the view to the broad sky.

He did it.

He finally got out.

…..fog?

Or so he thought.

Thick fog floated around in the air, it covered everything in his sight, carrying a dim shade made of red light. Not only his view has been limited dramatically but over ten feet away from the boy was also another problem he has to face.

There was an abyss in front of him.

He could see the path lead into where the fog has made itself a hindrance to him yet for some reason, it was collapsed, creating a large gap from where he stood to somewhere in the other side.

The meaning of relieve felt like it has gone so far away.

As [Kamijou] stood there in utterly hopeless, a massive gust of wind struck him from behind, throwing the boy near the edge.

Body hit the hard ground, the boy slowly sat up with a groan and flinched. [Kamijou]'s face instantly went pale, he was only an inch away from the edge.

…huh?

He found something.

Down there in the abyss, there was a river. Something was deeply red, floating gently on the calm current. The distance was too great for the boy to recognize what it was.

Then it came to his view, there was more than just one.

[Kamijou] felt it hard to say as an indescribable emotion flooded his mind.

Something was not right.

It felt somewhat familiar.

It felt somewhat insane.

It felt somewhat…dead.

A rotten sense of smell hit his instinct.

Steadily, he turned to look over his shoulder.

It was then, [Kamijou]'s entire being got swallowed by an enormous disaster.

...

….

 **KRKSRHKSRSRKSKshrSsaksrjSRHSKosk….[feEl FrEe tO stRugGle.]…..KSHRjrshkrsrrrrr!**

 **KSHKRSJkhKSsKHFsrshfojmwcc#ef...[YoU hAve aLl tHE rIghT tO Do sO.]...SKrhkscsrrr!**

 **KhhKSHrkshsrhskrshRSHrwe0cw8….[iF YOuR mINd aRe stILl sANe eNoUGh, tHat'S iT.]….KSHrksrr!**

 **KhkshrkshsRKHSKRHSKRrasfd32…..[nIgHtmARe iS sUch a lOveLy tHiNg TO maKe ThE fEar BeCoME REal .]…KSHrskhrr!**

….

….

Fear manifested itself.

Before [Kamijou], who was staring in shock, a giant shadow rose over the concept of true abomination.

And it wasn't the only thing that caused the boy to temporarily forget how to breathe.

Right at the entrance, the large hole where the boy just came through, a mass of indistinguishable shapes appeared. Its horrific form was made of many bodies combined into one, though the arms and legs were easily to differentiate despite the deadly spikes grew on the rotten skin.

The unique appearance certainly made it too overwhelming for any normal person to hold their sanity dearly for their life after taking a single look at it.

It growled as [Kamijou] quickly stood up and steady himself for the unknown direction this situation will lead him to.

[Hey, you are watching this right from somewhere else right now, aren't you? You really are enjoying this, aren't you?]

Left hand gripped the "torch" tightly, he went into a defensive stance by pointing the sharp edge toward the thing.

[I'll just say this once, you….all of you better try harder than that to make me give up. I don't care if this will turn out for the worst or not, and I don't care even if I have to do this a hundred, a thousand times either. If you can understand my language so well then you better raise your ear and listen to this misfortune magnet that you all look down on….]

The boy spoke through gritting his teeth.

[You people told me to feel free to struggle? Fine, I'm going to struggle all the way to the end of the world. You want to torture me that much? You think you can make me yield by throwing me into this freaking world? You think you can freely do whatever you want to toy with my existence? You think that human is such an easy prey, a cheap toy, a doll for you to play with? You think I'm that much vulnerable since "they" are no longer in this right hand?]

He took a step forward, his voice was never raised up. He spat out in a deep tone.

[Like hell I'm going to let things go your way.]

Another step.

[This thing…..this world…..your world, your army of creepy monsters. Doesn't matter how you keep trying to do your worst and throw everything at me. Compared to all the things I had been through in those phrases, these stuff won't amount to anything like it.]

Another step, [Kamijou] shifted his view to the gigantic shadow rose over the thick fog for a moment.

[Do you hear me? Keep dreaming on trying to break me down so you can tear apart my world.]

Instead of fear, pure anger burned in his **pitch black iris**.

A dangerous, sharp glint formed in those eyes of the boy.

The thing in front of him began to bend down it below legs to ready itself for the attack.

[I won't allow it…..]

 **Cracked!**

Red substance slowly drip down from the injured right hand as the boy shakily gripped it tight.

[Even if "they" are no longer in this broken right hand, I'll still break it….that messed up illusion of all of you!]

The boy said so, yet rather than saying that to the being only, the boy seemed to address it to more than just a single person, more like a group of individuals.

As the monster launched at the only target in its sight, [Kamijou] also made a mad dash at it with the "torch" locked on where to strike.

[So bring it on!]

The "true" normal high school boy you can find anywhere screamed with all his might.

 **[I'LL ABSOLUTELY NEVER BACK DOWN FROM THE LIKES OF YOU EVIL GODDSSSS!]**

The inevitable clash occurred as the mist closed in.

Based on the nature of this circumstance, It can be said that this clash between a human boy and a monster thing came so close to what can be deemed as a one sided massacre.

Since the right hand was no longer the way it was, the outcome has already decided. [Kamijou] could hardly survive nor walk off from this without any fatal injuries.

Dead ends were there in every directions to lock the boy up.

However…..

That decided outcome was just another one of many possibilities that overwritten each other in order to set the righteous path for that single moment.

 _ **They**_ , who were watching the boy from somewhere in that world has believed so in the consequence of his reckless act as what he did was no different from a suicidal attack.

Yet, no one could predict it.

At that point, a small change happened in a slit of second.

From the very beginning, it has already turned the tide of the one sided massacre as [Kamijou Touma] has completely made up his mind about a certain thing he needed to push through.

It was not on a whim, it came from deep inside the mindset that the boy has instinctively established for himself the moment he decided to slam his one and only light source in between the head of the humanoid creature.

That's right.

Due to the change in his nature, the outcome of what was supposed to be a one sided massacre can never become a reality.

And so….

Before the thing could even land a hit on him….

 **[Kamijou] swung down the "torch" with clear murderous intent.**

…..

…..

…..

 **KHRKSHRKrhsrrhskrasdfhskdfhsekhf….[iNteResTing, pLeaSe hAVe iT yOuR wAy. wIThoUt tHe ImAgiNe BrEaKer, yOu ArE pOwErlESs.]….KSRHrskrrr!**

 **KHkrshrksrhshksahkscsjbjhskdscrks…..[tOgEthEr wIth mY bReThren, I sHAlL lOok fOrWard tO tHe mOMent YoUr eNtire BeInG bREak.]….SKHRkcrrr!**

…..

…..

…..

…..

* * *

[…]

[Kamijou] awoke, light shed on his eyelid as the boy tiredly opened them.

…red moon….

The sight of the full moon paint in a pale blood color captivated him in a short moment. Then it came to him that something wet was moving, gently tap into his skin like the waves from the sea.

The boy slightly titled his head to look around, he was lying on the soft layer of sand on a beach. Water from the sea rolled past him in waves, hitting the coast at a regular pace.

He began to recall.

In the aftermath of that extreme attempt, he brought down the thing that was multiple times his size in pure violence only to be swept away effortlessly by the gigantic being in the fog.

What happened next after that was just a blurry vision filled in the boy eyes when he fell through the empty air into the abyss.

[Kamijou]'s consciousness slip away as he hit the river at the bottom of the abyss.

He was pulled into this place by the current of that river.

…..I see…I fell into that abyss…..

[Kamijou] stared back at the strangely blood painted sky, everything in his vision was pure red. The boy rubbed his eyes a few time with his left hand but it didn't seem to make the change in his vision.

Perhaps, in his eyes, this world was drowned in the color of horror and nightmare.

The spiky haired boy let out a small sigh as strong wind blew pass the coast. Even in the air, that rotten stench spread all the way here.

No, it wasn't like that.

[Kamijou] rose up his head a little to look at the far away distance. Outside the sea, there was an island covered in thick fog. He could see a gigantic silhouette was there, didn't move and remained stationary on that island.

Everything on it seemed to collapse under the presence of such being. As [Kamijou] witness the sight, several gust of winds came and that rotten smell hit his nostril again.

 **KHSKRHSRKsksfhrskhsR….[SKjdhsrh39$#2r2./th2ehf]….KHShrsrrr!**

The boy felt his skin grew cold, squinting his eyes as a tingling pain echoed somewhere in his head. That wasn't the wind, it was the howl of the massive Evil God himself.

For human perception, it resembled to a howl that could break their mind as it was beyond their understanding. But to the Evil God, it was a form of communication.

…broke my sanity..….you say…..

Strangely, [Kamijou] seemed to understand the message, which the _extraterrestrial being_ was delivering throughout the world.

[I have no idea what you bastard are talking about.] He muttered quietly.

For some reason, blood bled out from his nose, as if it was the consequence of being able to know the words the alien god speaks.

A moment later, the island vanished as it sunk down into the depth of the ocean along with the presence of the Evil God.

[Kamijou] sat up in exhaustion by using his left arm to support himself. He didn't care to wipe his nose as the flow has stopped so the small trail just kept visible there on his face.

The boy tried to stand up but immediately fell down on his first try as he began to feel so numb in several places on his body, especially his right arm.

He didn't feel anything when he tried to move it.

…..damn it…..

[Kamijou] forced himself to sit up again. Spending a moment to calm his mind, he took out his note in the pocket.

[Hm?]

But it wasn't there.

…..wha….where?!

In panic, he immediately stood up to search yet fell down on his knee again since there was no strength left in his leg. [Kamijou] pushed himself up with both arms and this time, something snapped. The sound of a breaking bone echoed.

The boy helplessly stared at a horrible sight.

The right arm broke, it bent down with the force of gravity as the joints no longer connected.

The true state of the right hand was showed as the bandage covered it melt away by water from the sea.

Injuries covered the entire palm.

The skin was torn off, small holes can be seen here and there like it was pierced through repeatedly. Two out of five fingers were broke, and one was cut short.

No proper treatment was performed to heal it.

[Kamijou]'s right hand was in that state for a long time while he wandered in this forsaken world.

He couldn't feel the pain as the numb feeling was getting all over him.

And beyond that, despite the right hand was in a messed up condition…

 **Nothing has come out of it.**

….ah….that's right…this is the way things are right now….

[Kamijou] averted his eyes, looking down at his own shadow reflected on the sand by the moon light.

…..I said that I will fight off those things to the end. But…

The Imagine Breaker was no longer inside that hand.

…."they" are no longer reside in this hand….

The power that can negate everything has long gone.

….I don't have that power anymore…..that basically makes me a "pure" normal high school boy with nothing special right now, doesn't it?

It was just him, alone on his own in this circumstance.

….with this, I really am powerless against them….

The spiky haired boy started wondering.

…..what was I doing this entire time?...

At this rate, he can't do anything, he can't save anything.

…I said I'm not going to back down…but how am I going to save them from these bastard if I have nothing with me?…..just….how am I going to get back their memories of my existence?

As [Kamijou]'s mind drown in a thousand conflicts, an object was washed up to the shore in front of him. The boy stared at it and the rampaging emotion within him kept expanding as more salt was added to the wound.

It was his one and only light source in this world, the "torch" or rather a part of an ancient artifact he made use as a survival tool.

…the Elder Sign…..…..

It was broke, there was only the handle left.

It was supposed to work as a protecting charm against the citizen of this dark world. But over the course of this event, there wasn't much remained and [Kamijou] decided to use it as a light source to lead his own way.

Unfortunately, at this moment, the thing that he should be keeping the most has shattered into pieces.

….first the note…..my arm…..and now this…

[Such misfortune.]

[Kamijou] found every emotion inside him started wavering, he didn't know what else he should do so he just shifted his view to the vast ocean.

A weak smile formed on the boy's face.

He has a broken right arm.

He has lost his diary, lost all the precious memories he has spent with them back in his own world.

Without the Imagine Breaker...

Without the will to push on...

Without his note...

In this world, losing it all would mean his demise.

[*sigh*]

[Kamijou] stood up, staggered. His broken right arm waved lightly by his side as he slowly moved along the coast.

Above the sky, the blood moon faded as dark clouds approached.

Rain hasn't fallen down yet, but a small trail of water has already appeared on [Kamijou]'s cheek.

And he just left it there, dripping down on each of his heavy, shaking steps.

….Othinus….Index…..Sphinx…Itsuwa….

He thought about the two freeloaders, the kind girl of the Amakusa Church and the calico cat, those who no longer cared to look for him.

...Komoe-sensei...

He thought about his teacher, who no longer treated him as one of her students.

….guys…..

He thought about the people who he worked with in his part time job, those who didn't catch wind of his situation.

….Misaka….Shirai…..

He thought about a certain chestnut haired girl and her roommate, those who no longer saw him as a friend.

…Shokuhou…..Kumokawa-senpai…..

He thought about a certain girl with sweet honey scent and his senpai back in the Academy City, those who no longer cared about him.

…Ari….

He thought about a certain girl with fluffy haired, who no longer remembered him.

…..Hokaze…..Yuna…..

He thought about the girls of Tokiwadai, those who no longer recognized him.

…..Hamazura…..Accelerator…..

He thought about the two friends those who were once his comrades.

He thought more about the people whom he has met in his life.

[…..what did I ever do…..to deserve this?] [Kamijou] muttered as tears kept flowing down from his eyes.[…why does it has to be something like…..this….?]

The world has forgot about him.

[…kuh….just what did I….do wrong to lose….even you?]

The Imagine Breaker has left him.

His endurance has almost reached its limit, it was only a matter of time before everything about him truly falls apart.

He wanted to stand up again.

He wanted to continue to struggle again.

He wanted to fight his way out of here, facing against the one who has put him in this hell again.

But with the current state of both body and mind, there was nothing else he could do, so for now…..

[….*sniff*…]

For now, he will need some time to calm his mind down and sort this out.

A short, peaceful moment was all he could wish for to let himself cry.

And so…

Emotions ran wild, [Kamijou Touma] fell down on his knee.

He couldn't hold the tears in, it came out more as he pressed his forehead on the sand, quietly crying for everything he now has left.

[….this is…..the worst….]

The rain started falling down.

The heavenly tears gently washed away the horrific sight consumed by the blood, the flesh, the bone, the most corrupted image beyond anything the mind could handle.

Yet, it was never enough to ease the great sadness bear within the boy, who was the only human being in that hellish world.

/

* * *

 **Author's note: And that was it.**

 **There's still an extra between the line below this note but I'll just get in here while the emotions are still running haywire.**

 **So, how do you feel while you were reading this one-shot?**

 **I hope it satisfied those who wants to see Touma suffer and good enough to make some tear up a little. (And just in case, I'm not a saddist. I actually felt a little bit salty when I reread this.) (laugh)**

 **You might be wondering why Kamijou's name and lines were covered with [] instead of "", well, this is a concept that I decided to scrap a year ago so it maybe has some meaning or even hints something at a larger scale. Right now I'm still trying to remember, who knows, it might be a references to a big twist when one of the toaru stories I'm writting reaches an end (wonder if that's right?).**

 **This was an original idea of Lost Light where Kamijou actually stays alive but gradually losing parts of what makes him a human being and the ideal of what makes him the Kamijou Touma we all know. An alternative plot that I applied the "Lost" concept, and as you can see.**

 **Now, for the Q &A:**

 **Guest: Well, what do you know? You read my mind, dear sir. The best thing should be saved for the last. (sinister laugh)**

 **Qrow454: I know you want something to stir up in Chaldea while Touma's around in that world. But the concept of a strange fate has been planned, the story revolves around the two protagonists only. Since IB has already a big threat to anything that's supernatural or magic related, i** ** **t would be too big of a complex story if he accidently sends one of them back to the Throne of Heroes. That's why** Touma is not going to "meet" any of the Servants and neither will they except for Fujimaru. You can only wait and see if Fujimaru will succumb to the Kami-yan disease or no-...WAIT! I mean how her problem will be solved with his help! Anyway, thanks for asking!**

 **Agent Nine: Y** ** **eah, f** ate and misfortune combines will never be something that treats Kamijou with kindness. But as a fellow protagonist with the same ideal, you can count on Fujimaru to help him with her kind heart. I mean, if you played Fate/Grand Order, you know it's not a coincidence that she's well-liked among the Servants...and the players, too.  
**

 **Well, that's about it.**

 **R** ** ** ** **eview the chapter if you please, criticism is also greatly appreciate. I will see you again in the next note.********

 ** ** ** **For now, enjoy the little extra part below.********

* * *

 **{Between The Line}**

After that fateful evening, things began to change.

Before he was dragged into the dark world by the hands of the person who wished to annihilate the one who purify god and slay demon, something happened to the world he lived in.

The **bonds**.

The **cognition**.

The **reality.**

The **life.**

The **memories**.

The **existence**.

The **sanity.**

It all burned and turned into nothingness.

The connections he shared with his friend vanished like it was never there.

Everyone around him stopped acknowledged his existence.

To make it worst, reality was forcefully shifted.

The entire world saw him as their enemy.

By now, before he could comprehend what happened, the world has forgot about him.

From that point onward, he was all alone.

But it was alright, this kind of problem won't make his spirit swayed, he told himself so.

This won't amount to anything he has experienced. It was a good thing that he has gotten used to all the nightmare in those phrases.

With those simple thoughts, he seek for an answer to the changing around him.

It was around this point that [Kamijou]'s mindset started entering a very dangerous route as the Imagine Breaker suddenly disappeared.

In order to take back what was him and save his world from the brink of destruction brought by one selfish individual, [Kamijou] unconsciously stepped into the dark side of human's nature while he struggled to survive on his own.

If he couldn't pull this through, his sanity would be one of many things about him he will eventually lose.

This was the prelude of an untold story that no one other than him knows.

This was the chain of events that happened before the world was on the verge of being torn apart by the transcended beings.

The event that leads to a tragedy occurs on January 1st.

As the New Year is coming closer, the number of days left when [Kamijou]'s heart is still beating can only be counted on the fingers of one hand.

….

 **Memories_of_[HIM]**

 _ **Special Entry #0**_

 _ **Lost_The_Sanity**_

/

* * *

 **(?)**

Somewhere in that devastated world, a "young human girl" discovered a familiar item washed up to a shoal beneath a dark cave.

 **KSHRKARHSKsrsrhskrhskrhasARur0hf03o…..[...this is…[Touma] onii-chan's hand writing….]….KSHRSKrrrrr!**


	5. A-Strange-Fate (3)

**Finally! This one-shot crossover of Toaru and FGO is finally reaching its conclusion! I never expect it took so long to finish this.  
**

 **Please enjoy~.**

 **Disclaimer:** ** **I do not own To Aru Majutsu no Index series and I do not own any characters relate to the FATE series owned by Type-Moon.****

* * *

 **Memories_of_HIM**

 _ **Lost Entry #2**_

 **A_Strange_Fate (III)**

After one heavy sigh, her eyebrows twitched in disbelief.

"Honestly, I was worried when you passed out. Speak the truth, when was the last time you ate something?"

"I'm sorry, Kamijou-san…is just too hungry….."

The boy in question was in no condition to move his limbs by strength. His voice was weak, he has to lean against Fujimaru's side as she was supporting his body to walk on his feet. The color on his skin began to shift to a ghastly pale one.

He can't neither lift a finger nor see, everything got blurry to a disturbing level. Kamijou's eyes was closing as his head hang down in exhaustion. The unpleasant dizziness dominated his mind, he felt lightheaded as if his body was weightless.

It was a clear symptom of anemia with the lack of nourishment.

He reached his limit. Two bowls of rice for the whole week did not help maintaining his health, he would have to reconsider about having Index takes over 80% of the food on the table after this.

"…..sorry…for troubling you like this…..."

"It's fine. Don't talk." The girl fixed his form as he was about to fall down."Save your strength."

Surprisingly, she didn't have much difficulty in holding his weight altogether, choosing to participate in a few sessions of **Leonidas** 's boot camp might have been a great help after all.

Steadily passing through deserted corridors, Fujimaru spent some time to look closely at Kamijou's face now that she has to the chance to. All this time, she tried to avoid his gaze, she could not focus entirely on various expressions he displayed.

With the way he was right now, it made her wonder. Were those words he claimed back in the infirmary genuine? Or did he say them on a whim due to him not being himself at the time?

…..huh? And why am I suddenly interested in that? Am I really get influenced by hi-No! I'm definitely thinking too much!

Fujimaru shook her head frantically in hope of forgetting about those weird thoughts.

"…the ponytail…..it's hitting my face…"

"S-sorry, I was preoccupied!"

"….but it smells good…..sweet orange scent….."

She blushed a bit.

…is he…..is he saying that on purpose!? Ah, w-why is my cheek feeling hot!?...it….it's not like-

"….orange…hungry…."

Shocked.

…..my scent reminds him of food!?

Obviously, he was extremely starving. Still, she didn't know why hearing that irritated her a bit. The auburn haired girl shifted her view to his face again, and this time, she took a good long look.

The pair of orbs with the color of a deep blue, vast ocean. Gentle and calm as a tranquil lake yet sometime, aggressive and determine like a storm at sea.

And….

And…

That's it.

….nothing else!?

The features he possessed, other than the gleaming eyes that seemed near death at the moment and the most striking feature of his appearance which was the spiky black hair, he has nothing else special to attract others from a single glance.

Appearance-wise, he looked almost like a young ordinary high school student. He was completely plain at everything.

…..I wonder if he used to be a student before the Association assigned him here.

It would certainly interesting if both of them might even share the same age as well. Here in Chaldea, she and Mashu were the only youngest members of the staff, not including the Servants.

Fujimaru felt a smile formed on her lip.

From the way she saw him reacted to their surroundings in this base, she knew he was the same as her in many ways. Maybe that was part of the reasons she felt comfortable just by talking to him, even after he tried to confess to her twice in the same day, in less than an hour.

Perhaps, it was mainly his personality that attracted people around him.

…..that might be the case, but…...

There was this mysterious vibe around him that intrigued her, she couldn't never bypass it.

How he kept blaming misfortune for his daily but remained positive at the same time.

How he seemed clueless about things like Science using Magic for centuries.

How he reacted with a helpless smile when her healing magic disappeared in an unexplainable way.

Could he be another possible chosen candidate just like her? No, that story was unlikely.

The operation of searching those who was compatible with the Contract ended long ago and she was deemed as the last one.

"…guh….hungry…" A loud rumbling came from Kamijou's stomach, the boy whined at the discomfort.

"We're almost there."

….Kamijou-san, who are you really?

Right now, she wanted to seek answers for that one question in her mind. She would not mind even if it cost her hundred boxes of Saint Quartz.

Can't believe she felt that much all because of this boy, she might think of him as a friend already.

….y-yes, just a friend! A very close friend!

The young Master of Chaldea appeared to have another self-conflict.

….

….

The resounding creaking of the door blew away the silence of winter throughout the spacious cafeteria.

Due to conserving energy, the ventilation systems in each area were operated through scheduling and can only be turned on if necessary.

Cold air lingered around the room, the exhausted spiky haired boy unconsciously let out a shivering gasp as it got to him.

They arrived at the location.

Fujimaru led Kamijou to the nearest table and let the boy sat down, resting his head on the table.

….I should bring him something to drink first.

"I'll get you some warm water."

Kamijou replied back with a weak grunt and that was when she already brought to him a cup of water. As she placed it in Kamijou's grasp, the boy slowly sat up and knocked it in one go. His consciousness gradually recovered, feeling alive as the hazy mind became clear.

 **Gggrrrr!**

Stomach growled, he collapsed again. He was only half-alive.

Fujimaru's attention shifted as she heard something hit the floor. Beneath the table, near his feet, she found an object and picked it up.

….a note?

It was a small note with a custom mechanical pencil lied in between, marking the pages. Someone must have dropped it here without knowing.

There was no name on the cover so she flipped the pages to search. However, Fujimaru startled, she was stopped before she could read the content inside.

"….it's mine…that's my diary….." The owner of that note grabbed her hand.

His grip was surprisingly firm despite the condition he was in, it proved that this note was very important to him.

"…..thanks….for picking it up. There're….lots of precious memories in this note. I don't want to lose them…..ever again."

Kamijou placed the note back in his pocket once she returned it.

…I see, he's writing a diary.

…

…

At Chaldea, the amount of food available was enough for a few hundred employees to consume within a year. And with the appearance of the summoning Servants, the number drastically increased.

Usually, they can maintain their existence in the world just by consuming mana through their links with the Master and from other reserved sources, which **FATE System** generated and provided.

Unfortunately, the conditions from each Heroic Spirit was vary.

If there were too many links, it became an unmanageable situation. One young Master and the place alone could not provide enough for some to attain their true potentials nor did their physical body was able to keep existing. As a result, those Servants has to restraint themselves not to go all out in battles as it would bring harm to the Master's body.

Eating was a temporary way to supply enough mana to everyone. But apparently, it went backfired as there was a group of gluttons among them. Thus, it became a large concern.

Another solution was thought of and everyone came to an agreement.

Farming resources.

The best way to prevent resources from running out was to grind materials and ingredients during mission and bring it back to base. Thanks to this idea, the situation was effectively stabilized. Thus, it became a regular routine for every small singularities.

….the kitchen is stocked with ingredients, we did a lot last time.

In tradition, when you work in the kitchen, you wear an apron.

Fujimaru opened one of the drawers, she took out a robe neatly folded with perfect line and put it on. The images of a cat doing many poses was catchy for the eyes, it was an adorable pink apron belonged to **Tamamo Cat** , the master of seasoning and nutritional value.

…..the design looks cute.

Fujimaru loved cute things, she has been wanting to wear this once. Despite being here for more than a year, she was still an adolescent young girl. She planned to try it on a few occasions in the past but Mashu suggested her to wear it when no one was around. She has no idea her kouhai was afraid of a possible disturbance among the Servants, some of them would kill just to see her in this apron.

Which made tonight the perfect opportunity.

And it also meant another thing.

Kamijou was having the privilege no one else in Chaldea has ever had.

"….ouch…ouch…such misfortune."

Shame, the said boy was not in the mood to notice that, his stomach was tormenting him. Fujimaru needed to act fast, Kamijou looked like he was about to pass out again.

…...there's a lot of dishes in Chaldea's cuisine. I could also choose ramen cup but it won't be enough, he needs more than that. What should I make for him?

Asking herself, Fujimaru soon came up with a simple idea.

…..

…..

"Here." In a caring tone, Fujimaru placed the plastic food tray in front of the spiky haired boy."Meshiagare (Have a nice meal)."

She made katsudon for him. It contained a large amount of calories, which was a good choice for the boy to replenish his energy.

With the delicious smell luring in and the hunger at its peak, Kamijou devoured it in no time.

"How was it?"

"Delicious! This is so delicious I think I'm going to cry! Moments like this are the true essence of happiness!"

He actually cried.

"I'm alive now." Letting out a sigh of relief, Kamijou put down the bowl after he finished everything in it.

….that was fast….

Fujimaru was amazed, he left nothing behind, not even a piece of onion.

"….."

"What is it?" She asked as he kept staring at her for some reason.

"Cat apron?"

Ah! He finally noticed the pleasant sight, took him long enough.

"It's adorable, don't you think?" Fujimaru made a spun, showing him the curv-…the cuteness of the apron she was wearing."Do you like it?"

"Well, it definitely emphasizes the pure, cute and innocent side of a girl." Said Kamijou as he placed a hand to his chin, analyzing the visual info his eyes captured like a true expert."When you look at it, you can also feel the tender, caring vibe it gives out. Kind of alluring. The person who made it must have been a loving housewife…an onee-san maybe? Hope that is the case. Anyway, it's really cute so yes! I like it!"

Fujimaru giggled, he might just say something really unnecessary near the end there, but that was enough if wearing this certainly helped her score a lot of points in this healthy high school student's eyes.

…..again, I'm not thinking about him that way!

She was pleased though.

 **Ggrrr!**

"Ah."

Blushing, the auburn haired girl quickly covered her belly, she forgot her stomach was also in a state of rebellion. Just by watching the boy eat her cook, it seemed to stimulate the hunger further.

The girl rushed back to the small kitchen area to make her own meal. While she prepared another group of ingredients, someone opened one of the drawers next to her.

"Somewhere here…there is it."

It was the spiky haired boy, he found what he was searching for.

"Kamijou-san?"

Question marks filled Fujimaru's head as she watched him put on a normal apron.

"I figure I should help you cook, it'll be faster when two people work together." Kamijou put on a smiled, he scratched his cheek sheepishly."Hope you don't mind if I borrow the kitchen."

"Are you sure? Why don't you take a short break? You're still recovering from malnutrition."

"I'm fine, don't worry."

The last time he used these words, he got a deep cut on the arm without even knowing.

"Hmm." Fujimaru gave him the suspicious look.

"L-look, I'm totally fine!" Getting nervous by her stare, Kamijou tried to wave the right arm wrapped inside the bandage, moving around, holding the pans without shaking much."See? I'm full of energy!"

The girl still felt worried. But seeing him handling objects in the kitchen with ease, she was somewhat convinced and let it slide.

"You look alright."

"Yeah, besides…..can't believe I'm about to say this…." He muttered something under his breath before looking back to the girl."I guess I'm still kind of hungry after all."

When the boy put it that way, he started to sound more like Index.

"Then let's have a big late-night snack, shall we?"

The girl returned him the same smiling expression, there was excitement lingered in her voice.

…

…

The prepared ingredients were now in a state of prepping.

Fresh baguettes were nicely cut and put into separate plates, the appetizing smell of fried meats spread across the cafeteria as they were cook inside a single pan, with just enough oil added in.

Everything was working out pretty well.

"So…out of curious, back then, in that secret chamber…"

"?"

"What is this Mana Transfer your friend talked about that made you blush so heavy?"

The knife used to chop meats fell out of the girl's grip.

….o-out of all the thing he could ask, w-w-why that!?

Basically, he was just trying to have a conversation going while waiting for the meat to be cooked. He obviously chose the wrong topic to start with.

Knowing that along with the fact he was a newbie in this whole thing about Magic and Chaldea, there was no reason for Fujimaru to get angry at him. However, the sudden inquiry surprised her a lot. Giving the answer to it was something she did not mentally prepare.

"That…well, that….sort of….."

The girl couldn't find the right word to describe this difficult concept. Her face turned red, two hands slightly interlocked as she felt her heart thumping in the chest.

"It's kind of like when you are…b-b-bonding with another person….eh…..do-doing things."

"Why are you stuttering? Is that something hard to explain?"

The strip of hairs above Fujimaru's eyes twitched.

"Are you really doing this on purpose?"

…..why are you making this so difficult to me!?

"…..no, I just curious. Did I say something I shouldn't?"

His eyes was as clear as a small stream in a forest, there was no hint of ulterior motive showed as he stared at her in clueless.

He was just as clean as a white sheet as her when she first came to Chaldea, but the way he kept asking despite the content of the question really pushed her toward the edge.

"Anyhow, you just need to know Mana Transfer is a…ritual….yes, yes, let's go with that! It's a special ritual requires two individuals and to make it work, they have to create a connection through bonding so their magical energy can be transferred to one another."

She went back to work. Yes, that explanation should be able to get through his head.

"Hang on, I still don't get it."

…eh?

Her movement froze.

"Index once told me mana is a type of energy exists in all forms of life, which means it is life force itself. How do you even transfer it to one another when it is part of something that keeps you alive? I've never heard of this before."

From where he came, the definition was entirely different.

"Explaining that would take a lot of time. It relates to the basic knowledge you will eventually learn while you're working here….I think."

"I see."

With that, he went back to his prying meats.

Fujimaru was relieved.

…that's it, you should leave it at that, Kamijou-san. You will come to figure it out by yourself eventually.

Mana Transfer wasn't some common topic you can nonchalantly discuss about, so it would stop here. For now, let's go see how these ordinary couple make delicious food.

Fujimaru had just finished dicing the vegetables and dropped them into separate bowls. Carefully, she put them into a large pot of boiling, well-salted water one at a time.

When the meats' skins browned, Kamijou flipped over most of them. He put a lid on then lowered the heat, all he needed to do now was to wait for them to be fully cooked.

The state of his wallet rarely gave him the chance to actually cook a proper meal yet the boy handled everything smoothly, like a professional chef.

"Say, can I ask you another question?" One more to kill the time.

"I'm listening." The girl began removing the cooked salad from the water.

"What exactly is this bonding act in Mana Transfer?"

Her maiden heart nearly stopped.

The dish filled with salad on her hand would have slipped off if her mind didn't recover from a momentarily blank state.

Forget about being straightforward, what in the world did he ask a girl!? More importantly, why did it have to be something relates to Mana Transfer again!?

….is he teasing me? It is because of my blushing face!? Kamijou-san, you….

There's a saying that boy tends to tease the girl he likes. However, Kamijou's poker face didn't show any hint of that. In this case, it might be right and it could be wrong.

But no matter which it was, there still remained the fact that his curiosity won't stop growing unless the true meaning of Mana Transfer lays bare.

Fujimaru wished she could say it straight to him, but there was no way she could be able to do that.

…..no choice, guess I have to give him a demonstration then.

It would be the fastest way to put this matter to rest. Plus, the explanation should be done in a way that won't rely too much on technical terms and cut to the point.

"Fine, take off your shirt."

It was the one sentence that perfectly fit the required conditions. But something would definitely explode if she said these words. The topic itself was an actual challenge, which was why cleverness would be the key to this conversation.

Fujimaru knew what she should do, she needed to be extra careful with every word spoken.

After all, the girl wouldn't want that boy to have any weird thought.

"Show me your pinky."

He stretched out his finger as told.

What came after was the beginning of a simple gesture, Fujimaru hooked his right pinky with her left.

The most sacred ritual of transferring magical energy was revealed in the form of a pinky square (?).

"Bonding is an act where you…feel the touch of each other, like this. Physical contact is the most important factor to establish a link between the two."

They stayed like that for a moment.

"You were right about mana being life force but it doesn't necessarily be the main reason for ours heart to keep beating, it exists in ours bodily fluids, too. In a way, you can think of it as another fundamental type of energy we all have. There's always a specific amount of quantity inside our body and only a magus can have the ability to control it. When it runs out, with enough rest, the magical energy will automatically replenish over time. But since that would take a long period, this ritual came up in order to shorten that gap. Depending on the circumstance, this is the fastest way to refill mana."

Done explaining, Fujimaru retracted her pinky.

…...that should be enough, right?

"Feel the touch, huh." Kamijou repeated the word, staring at his pinky."Hmm, something tells me there's more to this bonding act….and…bodily fluids…..?"

"I've just explained the basic to you." Fujimaru quickly said, cutting off Kamijou's train of thought."If you're still curious about it, you have to figure out the rest by yourself. That's the most efficient way to remember things, won't you agree?…though, I don't really recommend it."

"Huh? Sorry, can you say that again? I didn't catch the last part."

"Kamijou-san, watch the meats. They're burning."

She responded to him with a small smile.

"Let's end this topic here, okay?"

And the conversation was dropped as Kamijou has no more chance to advance the topic. Very clever, Fujimaru Ritsuka.

Now, let's be honest.

You were expecting something to happen, weren't you?

….

* * *

 **(Late – Night Snack Ingredient List 1)**

Soy sauce. Sake. Olive oil.

Roasted seaweed, dashi , mirin, sugar, tonkatsu.

Salt. Sour cream. Black pepper. Green onions.

Buttermilk. Spinach. Chives.

Meats (Bacon, pork). Fresh French baguettes. Steamed rice.

Goat cheese.

Kamijou Touma: Cheese? What do we need cheese for?

Fujimaru Ritsuka: It's a French styled salad dish I'm making. Serving a salad with goat cheese will offer plenty of flavor! Fufu~, it's a good thing I had **Jeanne** to teach me the cuisine from her country.

Kamijou Touma: I know it can be a great snack food but won't eating cheese at night gives you nightmare?

Fujimaru Ritsuka: Kamijou-san, that's just a mere superstition. Hm? Heh? That's strange. I remember putting those boxes inside the fridge, but now they're gone…..wait, who put a paper in here?

(Read Memo)

[One cannot stand the presence of cheese, these things are illegal so I've already took care of all the boxes. No more cheesy bullies and especially, no more cheesy nightmares in my sleep!

From your beloved Queen **Medb ~** ]

Fujimaru Ritsuka: Medb-chan!? She threw them away!? How did she can even get close to those boxes in the first place!?

[P.S: **Bunyan** did all the works, she is such a good girl~.]

Fujimaru Ritsuka: That devious queen! Ahhhh! All the cheeses…..what a waste of food…..no choice, guess I have to make something else.

Kamijou Touma: (Afraid of cheese to the point of having nightmare? Guess this means it's not just a mere superstition then, someone does feeling paranoid about it.)

(Crosses out the list)

* * *

"How did this happen?"

Eyes twitched in disbelief, Kamijou stared down at the burned meats in his own dish.

"B-But I added enough oil." He muttered."I put all of them into a single prying pan at the same time. How the hell the pieces I picked are the only meats that burnt!? What sorcery is this!? Such misfortune!"

"It doesn't look that bad, I think they're still edible since they only burnt from one side. There's plenty of ingredient here, you can cook it again if you want."

The idea was good, but Kamijou shook his head in decline. He didn't want to take advantage of Fujimaru's generosity nor waste Chaldea's resource.

"Thanks, I'm fine with this, anyway."

The spiky haired boy decided to peel off the charred part. The sizes of each piece of meat reduced to nearly half of the original size.

"Look, Kamijou-san. This egg yolk is very deep in color, surely this means it's more nutritious." She passed him the salad dish with soft and silky fried egg on top."Here, you should have this."

After looking at it with a pair of half-opened eyes, Kamijou pushed the dish back to her.

"Actually, when it comes to egg, the nutritional value doesn't change much whether the yolk looks darker or not."

"?"

Seeing the confused look on Fujimaru's expression, Kamijou continued.

"The color of the yolk depends on the food consumed by the hen and the environment in which it was raised, you know. In this case, the dark orange color implies the egg is healthy and the hen was a free range type. It ate heavily pigmented food so it produced darker yolk like this. On the other hand, if the feed consists of only rice or unhealthy food and the hen was kept in a place where it doesn't receive enough sunlight, the color will look lighter."

"How do you know?"

"I used to do a lot of researches about the ingredients and methods used for baking cake to make some sweets for certain spoiled ojou-sama(s). Eggs with deeper color yolk are fresh one, it's well-liked among customers as they tend to like that color better….not including me." He stressed that last part as if it was important."As a poor student who has to rely on special sale every single day to keep his fund in the safe zone, these are also my vital source of protein."

Kamijou spoke from his experience as he stared into the distance, feeling somewhat reminisce.

"Of course, buying cheap ingredients doesn't give you much change to make a fancy, high-quality food so I just choose anything in stock that gives me the best chance to make the healthiest one."

"But then you let yourself endure the starving."

"Listen, to every poor student, financial problem is their partner for school life."

And he happened to be one of the worst cases.

"You could have looking for a part time job."

"Well, that's a good idea. If only I don't have supplementary lessons grabbing my neck nearly every day after school." (Monotone)

Hearing that, Fujimaru could only give him a dried smile.

"You keep this, I've already had egg from the katsudon you made for me. I'll just take the other salad."

"If you say so."

Not until a moment later that a small detail struck the girl's mind.

Has to?

Every day?

…he's using present tense?

…

* * *

 **(Late – Night Snack Ingredient List 2)**

Soy sauce. Sake. Olive oil.

Roasted seaweed, dashi , mirin, sugar, tonkatsu.

Salt. Sour cream. Black pepper. Green onions.

Buttermilk. Spinach. Chives.

Meats (Bacon, pork). Fresh French baguettes. Steamed rice.

Goat cheese. (Disposed by Medb)

Carrot. Lettuce. Ghee. Vinegar.

Eggs.

Shiitake mushrooms. (Extra addition)

Kamijou Touma: Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Raw shiitakeeeee!

Fujimaru Ritsuka: You seems excited.

Kamijou Touma: Of course I do! You have no idea how great this mushroom is when you cook it raw! Back in Acad…..from where I live, they always sell canned shiitake and not only that, they think that adding some more seasonings will boost the flavor. Well, that's where they're wrong! It tastes the same at every prices! Preserving these type of delicate ingredients in a sealed can horribly ruins both the original value and the flavor!

Fujimaru Ritsuka: Can't say I'm disagree. It's true that there are some ingredients better left unprocessed but what are you planning with the shiitake, anyway?

Kamijou Touma: Give me a moment, you'll see.

* * *

Washing. Removing the stem. Cutting.

The spiky haired boy made quick work of the extra ingredient.

"It's done! This will go perfectly with my pork rice!" Said Kamijou as he proudly raised the bowl filled with ton of cooked shiitake(s) up high.

Fujimaru giggled a bit seeing how energetic he became around those mushrooms.

Eager to know how delicious it could get, Kamijou dropped a pieces into his mouth. Fujimaru also did the same.

"Uhm, this is really good!" She was astonished."I can feel the rich, buttery flavor spreading inside my mouth already."

"…..really? I see, so it does feel tasty, huh." The spiky haired boy closed his eyes while a small smile started forming.

"….K-Kamijou-san, what's wrong!? Your face is pale again!"

"Strange." Still chewing the food, his body slowly leaned backward."It's not a bad taste but for some reason, it feels bitter."

Eyes turned white, air bubbles streamed from his mouth.

Fujimaru, who just became the last person who still awake in Chaldea, watched the boy went limb on the ground as her jaw dropped in horror.

"Kamijou-sannnnnnn!"

As it turned out, later, some poisonous fungus was found among the shiitake mushrooms.

…

…

"Urg…guh…uuuhhhhhhhh…"

"There, there." Fujimaru gently rubbed the back of the unfortunate boy."Do you feel better?"

"...and I just….happened to pick the wrong one…" He didn't listen, he tried to resist the urge to cry. Yet the ongoing anime tears won't stop."….such misfo-…uuuuhhhhhhhhh!"

The kitchen sink became a mess with his pile of vomit, the poisonous food along with the katsudon he ate earlier all came out with the flow. Everything went back to square one, his stomach turned empty again.

"Here, wash your mouth with this."

Washing his mouth with the bottle of milk handed by the auburn haired girl, the two finally went back to their midnight snack after they finished cleaning the aftermath.

All the dishes were served on the table. The atmosphere shifted to an awkward mood as they realized everything just happened made them lose the appetite. Right now, they couldn't even find the motivation to pick up the spoon.

Kamijou let out a long sigh and tiredly lied his head on the table. Watching him, the young Master of Chaldea has to admit, that paled expression on his face made him look like he was about to pass out again.

"Sorry, I should have double checked those mushrooms before cooking."

"It's alright. Now, now, don't be depressing, Kamijou-san. We've come this far so let's just enjoy ours big snack."

The girl passed a bowl filled with rice to Kamijou, who was sitting at the opposite seat. The steaming hot air coming from it hit his skin as if it gave him a little motivation to perk his head up.

 **Gggrrrrr!**

No, it was the hunger that ordered him to gain back the amount of nutrition he threw up in the kitchen.

"I-It's a good thing we chose to eat something with rice, right!?" Fujimaru sounded panic, her cheek carried a faint shade of crimson.

It seemed it wasn't just the boy's stomach that made a sound at the same time.

Looking back on the menu, what they had was fairly simple for a big snack at midnight. There were fried egg salads, pork rice with bacon and extra shiitake mushrooms as the following dish (with no poisonous fungus mixed in).

"Let's dig in."

"Itadakimasu."

With those lines spoken, they can finally enjoy their snack in peace.

Although….

"It's too cold." Fujimaru's shoulder drooped, casting her vision to the ground with a downcast look."Anything but the rice is too cold."

"This doesn't taste good at all."

"Our whole effort…such misfortune."

"Fujimaru-san, that's my catchphrase."

…

* * *

 **(Late – Night Snack Ingredient List 3)**

Soy sauce. Sake. Olive oil.

Roasted seaweed, dashi , mirin, sugar, tonkatsu.

Salt. Sour cream. Black pepper. Green onions.

Buttermilk. Spinach. Chives.

Goat cheese. (Disposed by Medb)

Meats (Bacon, pork). Fresh French baguettes.

Carrot. Lettuce. Ghee. Vinegar. Eggs.

Shiitake mushrooms. (Extra addition – Poisonous)

Steamed rice.

Ramen cup (x2).

(In the end, they decided to go with ramen cups.)

Kamijou Touma: Kuh…my shiitake…my pork rice….

Fujimaru Ritsuka: Guguguh…my salad….

Kamijou Touma: Damn it, in that case, I'll just use that! Eating ramen during midnight is not a bad thing but I'm not going to throw everything away in exchange for just two ramen cups!

Fujimaru Ritsuka: By that you mean…?

Kamijou Touma: You know what they say. At time like these, microwave is the greatest invention ever of mankind!

* * *

"I can't really describe it but your luck really is something else."

The microwave busted the moment he turned it on.

If it was not for Fujimaru's idea of heating up food inside a pot, they would have had no other choice but to ease their hunger by some cheap ramen noodle.

Not that they were mind about it, they still had ramen either way.

"The ingredients we used to make these dishes, they were stored here by yesterday. No one bothered to check them yet. I think you just saved us from having multiple cases of food poisoning." She showed him a faint grin before chewing on another bacon."The way it happened might have been not very pleasant and quite unfortunate. But thanks to this, we'll make sure to manage ours resource more carefully."

"You don't say." Kamijou flatly said, didn't know whether he should take that as a compliment or not.

"I'm serious! You did an amazing feat for someone who just arrived here!"

The spiky haired boy shook his head in denial and kept on eating what was left on his plate. The girl took a brief glance at the broken microwave.

"As for that thing, tomorrow I'll ask **Edison** or someone in the staff to have a look over it. The sooner it's repaired, the better for us to prep meal easily."

The moment Kamijou put the empty cup down, Fujimaru quickly reacted.

"Here." She offered."Let me fill it up for you. I'm sure you want a seconds."

Their big midnight snack hasn't been long, it was a little peaceful as nothing cliché occurred. Aside from the cold breeze of winter hitting on the window, the hot air from an automated rice cooker filled a small space of the cafeteria.

From where Fujimaru and Kamijou were sitting, that hot air wrapped around them like a jacket. It kept them warmed, enough to comfortably enjoy the taste of the food.

"To be honest, I'm a little curious. Can't I ask you some questions?"

Unsure of how to respond, the boy in question hesitated a little. After all, he knew nothing about this world.

"It's only fair, you know. You've been asking me about a lot of things ever since we met." Fujimaru slightly pouted at his obvious expression."Now it's my turn. First of all…."

Without waiting for his respond, the auburn haired girl started. Kamijou sweat dropped, he had no choice but to go along with the flow of this conversation.

"…first of all, where did you learn to cook, Kamijou-san?"

The boy raised an eyebrow, he probably didn't expect that.

"Just answer, as I said, I really want to know."

"B-By self-taught, I learned how to handle a kitchen knife when I started living by myself in the dorm academy."

"Hm, hm. I see, it's self-taught." Closing the eyes, Fujimaru nodded her head thoughtfully."No wonder why this tastes so…."

After a short paused, her eyes shot open to reveal the sparkling stars glittering in excitement.

"Kamijou-san, rather than a question, this is a simple demand from me! Please change your occupation to a cook!" So the girl suddenly declared.

"Why!?"

"Why!?" She repeated in disbelief, pointing at the dishes he made."This bacon! This pork rice you made! It tastes so different from mama EMIYA and Tamamo-chan(s)'s cooking! I mean they're so delicious it's impossible for my appetite to resist!"

As if driven by said desire, Fujimaru leaned toward him without aware of lots of aggressive movements under her pajama.

"Basically, this is unreasonable!"

"…unrea…..what!?"

"Why did you have to make them taste so good to the point it's making me crazy like this!? Not to mention this is when we reheated all the food after they turned cold. I want a seconds and that's normally fine considering how I manage to keep my body in shape, but now I have the feeling a seconds won't be enough to satisfy me! Just the thought of me wanting a thirds appears in my mind is bad enough for me, do you understand!? I'm a young girl who couldn't afford to break those taboos people of my age are sensible to, girls don't have an easy time to restraint themselves from eating too much, you know!"

"C-Calm down! Those're just normal fried bacons and the pork rice I made based on ours tradition recipe!"

"You make it sound like these dishes are some random street foods, that's wrong! What you did to make these bacons and the meats and even the shiitake mushrooms taste so good is beyond me, my cooking skills is nowhere near this level. But now I do understand certain things about how you being afraid of your roommates eating away your wallet and how you have to consume less for her sake despite your critical finance. It's partly because of your culinary skills, Kamijou-san! You made the food so delicious she couldn't resist just like me." She fully leaned over the table, forcing Kamijou to shift his eyes to somewhere else.

"Nah, it can't be….wait, it actually makes sens-...no! You got the wrong idea! Index doesn't-"

"This is no different from a five-star chef…..no! This might be even better in comparison!"

Her high spirit left no opening for him to say anything. The instance Kamijou has to give her the "stop" sign with both arms raising up, Fujimaru and her pair of feminine hands quickly took his.

"For that reason, please take responsibility and become Chaldea's main chef alongside with mama EMIYA!"

The pair of eyes that filled with glittering stars intensely directed at him, it took only a moment later Fujimaru realized how closed she was in making eyes contact with him. The girl quickly calmed down and sat back to her seat.

Those tasty flavors created by Kamijou's talent seemed to have made her temporary forget the precaution she was taking.

"…."

"…."

A moment of awkward passed by as she hid her face in embarrassment.

"Sorry, I got caught in the moment."

To clear the mood, she continued. This was the person who made the food even more delicious than Chaldea's mama himself, such golden opportunity won't always occur.

"…but I won't take back my wish. Kamijou-san, please become our chef!"

A thin smile rose on said boy's face.

Rejected.

….

….

"…a **Holy Grail** …..yes, maybe I should use a Holy Grail on him….a single wish will make him do as I want…..."

Upon the wish was declined without thinking twice, a dangerous plan began to formulate. The auburn haired girl steadily found herself on the verge of turning chaotic.

"I have my reason for not going with your demand, alright. What's a Holy Grail, anyway? It sounds similar to a wish-fulfilling jewel I heard of."

Fujimaru looked back at the half-opened eyes Kamijou, sulking like a child who didn't get to receive her Christmas present.

"Fine, next question…."

She decided to let it slide for the time being.

"Is onee-san your favorite type of girl?"

That question put Kamijou's common sense to the test.

"I heard you mumbling something like that along the line when you commented on Tamamo-chan's apron. Don't be shy and just tell me." She insisted."Colleagues should get to know each other better. Besides, it's for reference."

"Are you sure?"

"?"

"The answer might not be what you expect, it might be something akin to pervert things, you know. I'm a boy."

"It can't be help, I'll tell you first. I don't have any specific type of an ideal person in my mind. But if I have to choose, I would say I prefer a cute reliable kouhai."

….like Mashu, for example.

That night, in her sleep, a certain former Shielder has a wonderful dream.

"It's your turn."

The spiky haired boy took a deep breath.

"My favorite word is dorm manager. Onee-chan dorm manager is my one and only ideal girl, nothing in the world can beat the clumsy cuteness and the slightly sexy vibe from a caring onee-san, wearing an apron also serves as bonus points."

That was an instant sounded comfortable so much in front of her that he said those words out loud without an ounce of shame.

You can say that these two were on the same page. They were getting along quite well.

…..an onee-san….good, that's one for references.

Was it truly for reference?

"Where did you live in Japan?"

"That's a toughed question. I live inside the dorm near my school and my parents often travel around the world so there's no definite answer for that. If I have to give a location, somewhere north of Tokyo, I guess."

"Does that means you were a student before they sent you here? Which year are you now?"

Kamijou appeared baffled, he instinctively glanced at his right hand. Looking at him, Fujimaru couldn't help but wondering why he suddenly tensed up.

"…..I'm still a student, first-year." His shoulder relaxed, a respond that seemed to cope well with the situation.

Hearing that, even without looking in the mirror, Fujimaru could tell her own expression was brightened up. When the young Master of Chaldea had just become a first year student in high school, she was brought here and a full year has already passed. Thus, that would make him….

"That would make you my junior, Kamijou-kun!"

"!?"

She changed her way of addressing him, almost like she couldn't resist the urge to tease him again. The self-proclaimed Fujimaru-senpai felt delight as she enjoyed the mildly shocked look on that boy's face.

"Ehehe~, to think I would have another kouhai." Hints of superior mixed in her tone, she was amused by this turn of event."Say, you can start calling me senpai if you want."

"Ah, food is getting cold again!"

In disregard of her intention, Kamijou shifted focus back to his snack.

Too bad, he wasn't interested.

….

….

As stomach filled, hunger faded. Many questions have been asked.

"Like?"

"….lots of things." So he answered, after a strangely long delay.

"Hate?"

"Rotten misfortune and those who dare insult my ideal girl." So he answered.

"Between big and small, which do you prefer?"

"Definitely go with bi-" So he startled."Hey, what kind of question is that!? I'm starting to think this conversation is heading toward a dangerous path here! There should be a boundary to these subject…..wait, is this some sort of trap!? It's a trap, isn't it!? I knew it, you're mad at me because I won't follow your wish! Fine, since I can't do that and since Kamijou-san is a gentleman, I'll prostrate and find my way back home real quick!"

"Kamijou-kun, I'm asking if you prefer bigger cup or a smaller cup."

"That's exactly what I'm also asking, when did cup size become a topic!?"

"When I decide to brew us some tea to drink?"

There was a long, long pause as Kamijou delivered his clueless gaze to Fujimaru. The auburn haired girl gave him the same stare as she stood in the kitchen, holding two different size cups in each hand.

Kamijou apparently did not pay attention. Since they've just finished the meal, Fujimaru decided to give themselves a peace of mind with the lukewarm taste of tea.

"You can stop laughing now."

"Pftf…I'm sorry, it's odd that you thought that way. It's hilarious." The girl turned away to hide the smiling face from his view."I didn't think you could easily misunderstand my words for breast size. Boys do think about perverted things sometime, huh."

Kamijou immediately went on all four on the floor to apologize.

…

…

For a while, he looked half-absentminded and let himself absorbed in writing something into that note he called diary.

Needless to say, the sight intrigued her.

"Are you recording what happened today?"

Kamijou didn't respond to her, he just lightly nodded.

Everything was still on the table, not yet cleaned. Their achieved their main goal, satisfying the basic instinct of their body. Once the brewing tea is done, they can officially call it a night and ended this little meeting here. The two would go back to their own room to finally drown themselves in the comfort of their sleep.

Fujimaru looked out the window, watching something beyond the snow filled landscape.

…after this, it's going to be another long night for me, isn't it?

She was wondering what else will appear in front of her the moment she closed her eyelids.

Memories from the previous precognitive dreams were still there in her mind, waiting to reveal at the back of the mind whenever she reminded herself of what transpired during Chaldea's grand quest.

This was no good.

She was here with another person, she should stop having these thoughts or else it will show all over her expression. This will soon be over, no one needs to know anything about her problem.

After all, what's done is done.

…I can only enjoy this sight for a little bit time left.

"Hey, it's done."

That voice forced her to turn back, Fujimaru nearly jumped as she noticed Kamijou stood right before her, eyeing the girl.

"W-What?"

"The tea is done steeping."

At this close distance, he looked directly into her eyes.

She can see it, the amount of curiosity in that pair of blue orbs threatened to trigger her fear.

Hurry! Think of something!

She has to distract him somehow.

Fujimaru quickly poured out the newly brewed tea and pushed the cup toward him.

"T-T-There you go, f-first serve for tu…..you!"

Ah, she messed up again.

Kamijou didn't show any sign of awareness toward her behavior. In silence, he kept observing until Fujimaru broke their visual communication by averting her eyes away.

Feeling engulfed by the uneasiness that slowly resurfaced from the depth of her heart, Fujimaru's hands shook slightly as if shockwaves of electricity were rushing through them.

She truly hoped he wouldn't notice it.

"…."

Kamijou didn't say any word, he picked up the cup. The gentle, relaxing odor of the hot drink rose up, mixing into the cold air as he took a sip.

A sense of relief hit Fujimaru, only for it to be swept away in an instance.

" **You have that look again."**

Like an illusion, the feeling soon shattered into a thousand pieces.

"Why are you feeling sad?"

She flinched. That one question froze Fujimaru's train of thought.

Did that mean he found out? Just like how Galahad did?

"It's just your imagination. I'm not feeling any distress." She tried to put on a fake smile, yet the corner of her lip never formed into a curve.

The emotions she tried not to let anyone see, was it leaking out?

…don't, you can't waver now! There's nothing else to look back!

"Kamijou-kun, how is the tea?" Fujimaru tried to change the topic.

Kamijou shook his head, clearly aware that was the bait. Her attempt was ruined right from the beginning.

"Fujimaru-san, something's been on my mind the moment I first set my foot into your room by accident."

….no, please don't say it.

"It was just one glimpse through the dark, I recognized that expression really well. I've seen it so many time it stored in the back of my mind, it's like an important save file that can never be deleted. It keeps reappearing whenever I think of all the memories forgotten by my old self."

"…..I…..I…"

Fujimaru desperately wanted to interrupt him right there. However, she couldn't think of any reason to halt his word. If this continue, those wavering emotions will surely come out, Fujimaru couldn't imagine what will happen after that.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"I don't mean to pry into other's business. But I'm sorry!" He said out loud, eyes filled with determination."After seeing those tears, I really can't ignore that painful look!"

He finally said it, those forbidden words that she did not prepare to listen.

He saw it all, he saw through what she tried to conceal from everyone.

Knowing that, her body didn't move. She stood still, facing him almost as if somewhere deep inside her wanted to hear what he will say next.

Almost as if she was waiting for the word "help".

…No! That's not it!

She shouldn't have let those thoughts slipped out from her mind, how careless of her to let him see that without even noticing.

For that, she decided to pick the only option available.

….I have to get back to my room…..

Anxiety increased, this was no longer the time to pleasurably enjoy tea. She will distance herself from this spiky haired boy, as far as possible. His recognition was sharp, to the point it's terrifying.

At this moment, that room might be the only place in the world where she can hide these leaking emotions from everyone.

"G-good night then!"

Leaving her empty cup on the kitchen, she fled. Eyes closing shut as the usual façade violently stirred, breaking. All those emotions she hid deep down were on the verge of being exposed.

"Wait!" Kamijou quickly grabbed her arm.

"Let go, you're being rude to your senpai." She kept pulling back while turning her face away from his sight.

Bangs covered over her upper face, what kind of vulnerable expression she was making at this point, Fujimaru didn't want to know anymore. Still, it wasn't difficult to tell her voice was shaking.

And she couldn't stop that overwhelming sensation from taking over her course of action.

…. **[Reinforcement]!**

The Command Seal carved at the back of her right hand brightened up, a considerable amount of light wrapped around her slender figure. Momentarily, Fujimaru enhanced both her stamina and strength in order to break out from Kamijou's grip.

The girl had no idea how fatal a mistake that was.

In the cold air of midnight, the mysterious low pitched sound of breaking glass once again resounded all over the cafeteria.

…w….what…..?

Fujimaru was left stunned as her magical energy being dispelled.

"I won't let go."

Kamijou's right hand was touching her arm, holding with enough strength that won't cause a needless bruise on a maiden's skin.

"Why are you being so stubborn?" Very soft, her tone changed after a short silence."You don't know anything about me, how can you tell what kind of feeling reflects in my eyes?"

" **Because we're the same."**

That one reply made the struggling stop.

"You told me the same thing before, didn't you? You said we're the same, in more than one way. More than you expected."

That was how she felt about him.

"Well, I have something to say in that regard, too! That's also exactly how I feel about you! That's why I understand those emotions!"

"….."

"I don't know the full story, I know nothing about you, true. Then again, the way those emotions portrayed in your eyes, it's like watching myself in the mirror. So I just know, I know that this person here must have gone through many hardships, bearing heavy burdens on their back and they couldn't afford to accept or try to forget the traumas it causes. Because of what happened in the past, they don't even know if it was the right thing to do."

He let go off her arm and continued.

"So don't run, what you want to hide from everyone can never be concealed forever. The worst thing about emotions is that they can be so cruel as much as an unpleasant torture if you keep on ignoring them and do nothing about it."

"….then…..what do you want me to do? What can I do about these conflicting feelings?"

Still not looking back, she asked him.

"Face them. Tell me your story like I did mine, we may find a solution to what's causing those emotions."

… _ **Can you really have the heart to destroy other worlds so you can save yours?...**_

"….what if…..there's no answer to it? Nothing can solve it?"

… _ **in order to save humanity, I have to destroy one…..**_

"There has to be a way, if it doesn't…then at the very least….."

"?"

"At the very least, you still have someone who is willing to listen to your story, someone whom you can share those feelings with."

The girl slightly widened her eyes as those words struck her in the soul.

…..this person…..he…

At a steady pace, her head turned over to look up at him.

"Will you?"

"When you put it that way, how can I say no." A faint smile rose on her lip, cheek tainted a light shade of red."Also, that's really bold of you, it's like you are directly confessing to me, do you know that?"

Kamijou blinked in confusion at the last part but it didn't have to be the case for him to pay any mind to it. Because this time….

"Alright."

This time, with no more fear.

"I will share with you my full story. The story of Fujimaru Ritsuka, a regular high school girl who reluctantly became the last Master of humanity in order to prevent the world from the brink of destruction."

The girl can finally look at him straight in the eyes as she spoke.

"….and later on, came to realize that she has failed miserably in doing so."

Thus, her story began.

…

…..

* * *

 **[Between the line 2]**

 _One day, out of the blue, a certain regular high school student was approached by a man._

" _Excuse me, young lady."_

" _!?"_

 _The said student jolted up a bit as she quickly turned to face the man, she was taken by surprise as she did not aware of his presence until he was one step away from her._

 _To begin with, the man started a short conversation with her._

" _I am an associate from a research organization. If I may, can I propose you a question?"_

 _In a very polite manner, he asked and the girl nodded her head in agreement. Although she did so with a slight hesitation, tightening her grip on the school bag she carried along. The high school girl became somewhat cautious at the man, who was a stranger in her eyes. It made sense as he crept up to her from behind, and she had never seen him before._

 _School had ended long before this meeting occurred._

 _By now, the Sun had set. And the sky had already covered itself in the thickest layer of the sparkling stars. Where they stood, the location was not much of a busy place. It was an empty street just right outside a small hospital built in a residential area._

 _There was a blood donation campaign held at that place._

 _The high school girl was willing to participate in such meaningful event, she decided to donate her blood in order to help patients who would need it._

 _Having done another good deed in her life, the girl was happy. Once finished, she exited the building and was planning to go straight home._

" _What do you want to ask me?"_

 _As it turned out, the start of this meeting began._

" _Do you wish to protect the future of humanity?"_

" _Eh?"_

 _In the way it started so sudden, the question from the mysterious man confused the girl._

 _Protect the future of humanity?_

 _Did she hear it right? Those terms sounded so great that she could hardly let her mind process immediately the meaning behind his words._

 _Seeing the puzzled expression on the girl's face, the man chuckled lightly and continued._

" _Pardon me for confusing you, here…" He handed her a piece of paper."Please take a look, it will make my question easier to understand."_

 _Still hesitating, she took it, carefully reading lines of sentence printed out on the thin sheet. Her eyes slowly widened at the content._

… _these are…..my info._

 _Her picture._

 _Her name._

 _Her birth._

 _Her blood type and even her home address._

 _Everything surrounded the existence of a high school girl named Fujimaru Ritsuka were all in here. What made it more interestingly unique was the big red seal with a single word "_ _ **QUALIFIED**_ _" embedded near the bottom edge._

" _How did you….?"_

" _You filled in this form before you apply to the campaign at that hospital, didn't you?" The man explained as he smiled."The sample from your blood showed excellent results during the examination, it fulfilled all of the required conditions we need. Congratulation, you have been chosen as the 48th candidate of our-…..wait! Where are you going!?"_

 _To the man's surprise, Fujimaru walked past him, ignoring his speech while the girl started picking up the pace. She also kept the paper and it didn't seem like the girl had any intention to return it back._

… _.so shady…..this is so shady!_

 _In her mind, Fujimaru was having a lot of doubts toward this stranger's words. This must have been some sort of fraud or a setup to scout her and force her into those kind of business her friends once talked about at school, she believed so._

 _A random deduction but somewhat valid in her perspective, because the girl remembered clearly, she didn't….._

… _..I didn't give them any picture of mine when I submit this form!_

 _How in the world did her face was there, fitting nicely in one place on that sheet? And not to mention it was the same picture in her academic record!_

 _Definitely not normal!_

… _even my three sizes is in here! I don't recall being asked to take any measurement, either!_

 _Definitely terrifying in so many ways!_

" _Wait, listen to me! I am not someone suspicious!"_

 _That suspicious man followed behind her, he must have realized his plan was busted when he saw the panic look on her face._

 _Now, it was only a matter of time before he pulled another trick on her._

" _Please stay away!" The high school girl walked faster, rushing ahead while she tried to keep a safe distance from him."Don't follow me or I'll scream!"_

" _I'm not going to do anything to you! I just want to invite you to join ours agency! What you saw in that paper is the final result of the test, the experiment we conducted in order to search for possible individual who can make a contract with a Servant!" The man didn't give up, he caught up with her."And it showed that you are the right person we need for the job! Please hear me out, an explanation won't take much of your time!"_

 _She made a dash._

" _Eehhh!? Why are you running!?"_

" _You will not deceive me with those words!" The auburn haired high school girl shouted over her shoulder."I have no interest in joining your shady organization nor do I want to work in those kind of industries!"_

" _I have no idea what sort of opinion you are holding toward me and ours agency but whatever it is, it's clearly not what you're thinking!"_

 _To cut loose the man, Fujimaru decided to take a shortcut through a playground. There was no one around at this hour so it was empty, however, a small neighborhood police station was near there. If she could make it to that place and report this in, surely she won't be troubled by this weird man ever again._

 _Protect the future of mankind?_

 _Contract?_

 _Servant?_

 _None of what he said made any sense._

" _It is the truth!"_

" _Wha-!?"_

 _The man suddenly appeared in front of her. Fujimaru was shocked, she thought he was still chasing behind her just a few seconds ago._

… _..no way…..how can he be so fast!?_

" _I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you or…anything…." The man paused, catching a breath."But everything I said is the truth. Fujimaru Ritsuka-san, we, the Chaldea Security Organization want to recruit you for your Master potential as you are qualified to make a contract with a Servant."_

 _The auburn haired high school girl stared at the man in bewilderment. She didn't understand, what exactly was he talking about?_

" _You are one of the selected individuals around the globe who can possess the power to do such thing. For that rare ability, Chaldea need your help in order to preserve the history of humankind and to protect the unlimited possibilities of the future. Continue the_ _ **Human Order**_ _as long and strong as possible."_

" _I-"_

" _I assure you, these words I'm speaking are not lies!" The man interrupted as Fujimaru opened her mouth to retort something."I'm being very serious, we are doing this for the sake of the world."_

 _Still feeling somewhat uneasy about all of this, Fujimaru hugged her school bag, she tightened the grasp more and more._

 _At the moment, the whole thing was too sudden for her to take all in at the same time._

" _Until now, we have been looking for individuals like you across the world. Currently, there are 47 Master candidates and they all willing to participate in order to protect the history and future of this world, ours world." He pointed at her."Don't you want to share the same goal as us, Fujimaru Ritsuka-san?"_

" _!?"_

" _You want to do good things to those around you, too. Do you not?"_

… _.I do._

 _Fujimaru admitted._

… _I do want to help people._

 _Yes, she really wants to._

 _Even though she was just an ordinary high school girl, with no special talent and had no remarkable feat, the girl still wanted to help everyone around her, little by little, taking small steps._

 _Whenever her friends or anyone were in trouble, she rushed to them, hearing them out, cheering them and helping them._

 _For example._

 _During rainy season, there was a box of kittens floating in the middle of a small water channel cut through the town. Upon seeing it and with no one else around to ask for help, Fujimaru didn't hesitate to jump into the river stream to get the kittens to safety. As a result, she caught a heavy cold the next morning and was bedridden for a whole week._

 _For another example._

 _Back in the first semester, before the youthful summer break came, Fujimaru met a young boy who was separated from his parents and got lost all the way to her town, crying. To help him, she spent the whole day finding the parents together with the boy. Consequently, the auburn haired girl missed an important test on that day and she had to make up for supplementary lessons in the entire summer break. Later on, she felt like an idiot for forgetting to bring him straight to the police station instead of wasting time walking around town in clueless._

 _But in the end, she was offered a thank you gift from the parents and the boy wanted to propose to her when he grows up. She didn't expect that._

 _Fujimaru had certainly gained a lot of affection points from the young boy and his parents for everything she did to try to help them._

 _Those were the kind of things she normally does, it has been a part of her personality._

 _A kind regular girl who would willing to help anyone in need regardless of the consequence. Surely, Fujimaru knew what she was doing and she has been very good at it._

 _In wonder, the girl widened her eyes as she realized she had been pulled in by the man's words._

 _Strange, those words coming from that person seemed so unbelievable yet contained such strong persuasion._

" _My thought exactly."_

" _Eh?"_

" _You truly are a good person. It's rather rare to see this type of people around in these days."_

 _Oh no! He heard it!? Did she just say it out loud without knowing!?_

 _A tingle of pink bloomed on Fujimaru's cheek, she felt embarrassing for revealing her deep thought by accident. She might need to put more self-control on this bad habit of her._

" _Anyway, we really need you, Fujimaru Ritsuka-san." He continued."Chaldea desires world's peace, and to do that we need to protect the future of mankind, preventing the destruction of Human Order. You and your Master potential can be a great help to us…..so please…."_

 _What happened next surprised the young student. The man straightened his back and bowed his head down as low as she could see the back of it._

" _Join Chaldea, lend us a hand! Let's fulfill that goal together!"_

 _He was really determined to recruit her, his words contained such passion._

 _Fujimaru remained silent, her thoughts were slowly falling in a one perfect line of track._

 _To protect the future of the world, that would be the same as….._

… _..to protect everyone around me._

 _The girl took her time to ponder over the man's offer._

 _Could she really take his word for it?_

 _Protecting, to Fujimaru, was an important word._

… _maybe that is something I can do._

 _She knew nothing of this organization of his and the whole things about Master potential, Servants and Contract. Everything this person said seemed to belong to a certain aspect of this world that she did not aware of._

 _Yet, after seeing this stranger went all the way to bow his head down, expressing such enthusiasm just to beg her to join his organization._

" _No, I can't do it." These words, she could hardly say it._

 _They stuck in her throat as she refused to speak them, Fujimaru didn't think she would have the heart to deny everything he had told her. The girl gulped, probably, she had already known the kind of answer she would come up with._

" _You don't have to bow to me like that, please lift up your head."_

 _The man who called himself Chaldea's associate looked back at her._

" _I still don't really get it, what you meant when you told me that I am qualified to make a contract with a Servants, that I became the person you need to protect the world. It's hard to believe, it feels like everything you said comes from an action, fantasy manga. Master potential, the future, the order, Servant and Chaldea, I have no idea how to take in all of that but if this relates to the safety of everyone then I can hardly say no."_

 _The answer came as the girl made up her mind._

" _ **I'll join you."**_

 _Fujimaru said that with a small smile._

" _I'll join Chaldea and lend you a hand in protecting the future of the world."_

" _Really!? YES! YESSS!" The man couldn't help but drowned himself in happiness, punching the air in excitement repeatedly as if he had accomplished something incredible._

 _The girl backed away a little, her impression of him remained unchanged._

… _..such a strange person._

 _Noticing the blank stare Fujimaru directed at him, the man coughed to regain his professional composure._

" _Anyway, Fujimaru Ritsuka-san, from now on, you will be ours 48th Master candidate." Said the Chaldea associate as he offered a hand toward the newest candidate."Thank you for joining us, Chaldea's goal will be much easier to achieve with your cooperation."_

" _T-the pleasure is mine." The girl shook hand with him. His firm grab made her a little hesitated to rectract."Well, since I've accepted your offer. I guess I should go home to tell my family about this first before packing my things. Ah, and there's also my attendance at school."_

" _Oh, you have no need to worry about it. Everything has already been taking care of by my colleagues."_

" _Heh?"_

 _A ringtone came from her pocket, Fujimaru took the phone out with the hand not holding the man's hand to check it. It was a message sent by her mother._

 _ **[Dear,**_

 _ **A man came to ours home and informed us you will be away for a job you just applied. This is quite sudden but be sure to work hard for your career, you're already have your mother and father's approval.**_

 _ **Try not to hurt yourself while helping others, okay? Do you best.**_

 _ **P.S: Your little brother is missing you already.]**_

 _Short and to the point. However, the girl was having trouble processing the texts from her mother. Wasn't this way too rushing?_

" _For now, you just need to follow my instruction." While still grasping her hand, he put something into her palm."If you don't mind, please wear this. We're going to do this discreetly."_

" _A blindfold?" Fujimaru stared at a piece of dark cloth, eyebrows raised up in confusion."W-wait, what do you mean by discreet-?"_

 _She shifted her gaze to him but her words stopped mid-way as the man was no longer standing there, he disappeared._

" _Hyaa!"_

 _Fujimaru jumped as something soft touched her ears from behind, she couldn't hear her voice despite it was coming out. Turned out, that strange man went behind her and without a heads-up, he inserted the earplugs into her ears._

" _W-what are you doing!?" She panicked._

" _No need to be afraid, Fujimaru Ritsuka-san. This is the correct procedure to bring you to Chaldea."_

" _Eh? You just said something, didn't you!? What is it? I can't hear you!"_

" _Hold still, please." The man took the blindfold from her hand and covered her eyes._

 _Fujimaru was not mentally prepared for this, the girl struggled as she couldn't see anything but the blackness. The next thing she knew, her school bag hit the ground, and her wrists were tied altogether._

 _Shiver crawled up and down the auburn haired girl's spine as she felt a pair of arm wrapped around her waist and her feet no longer touched the ground._

" _Eh!? Eh!? What are you trying to do to me!? You said you're not going to do anything to me earlier!"_

" _The location I'm about to send you to is a place separate from the civilization but don't worry, life in that base is a lot more advancing than anywhere in the world. Also, as an associate from Chaldea, I'll will handle your paperwork here and have your school bag return to your home later so no need to worry about your study progress, either."_

" _You definitely just said something again! I can't hear it, at least take off one of the earplugs! Or more like….I change my mind! PLEASE PUT ME DOWNNNNN!"_

 _On that night,_ Fujimaru Ritsuka was "abducted" and eventually disappeared from her normal school life.

...

...

A year ago, before a one in a lifetime meeting occurred.

A certain regular high school girl Fujimaru Ritsuka had made a decision.

It brought her the key to unlock the door that led her to a whole new aspect of the world she had never known. She was chosen as the 48th Master candidate to help protecting the future of the world, what was on the verge of collapsing.

Her intention to join the organization was clear. She wanted to help people, protecting the safety of the future of the world she lived in.

* * *

"You were abducted!?"

How cute, Mashu also had the same reaction just like him back then.

"Yes, I was." She paused for a moment to take a warm sip from her cup of tea."That's how I got to Chaldea. It was out of nowhere but since I'm the one who was willing to accept the offer, I decided to stick with it to the end. I made my intention very clear, Kamijou-kun, I want to help and protect the people around me. It's the only reason I join."

"…"

"I'm sure you also have a similar purpose, can you tell me?"

"Yeah." He glanced at his right hand."It's to protect the smile of those around me."

"The smile?"

She repeated and he nodded to confirm that she didn't hear wrong. He earned another giggle from her and that gesture meant well.

"I didn't expect Kamijou-kun to be such a profound person."

"I'm not." Kamijou looked away, sheepishly scratching the back of his head."It's just what I want. Anyway, what happened next?"

Fujimaru looked down at her own reflection in the bland, hot tea.

"After that, my life in Chaldea began…"

…

…

* * *

 **[Between the line 3]**

 **Part 1**

* * *

 **-Music 02: Familiar Melody composed by Keita Haga.  
**

* * *

 _-Registered name: Fujimaru Ritsuka – matched._

 _-Base sequence: Human genome._

 _-Spiritual Vessel's attribute: Good Neutral._

 _-Fingerprint authentication: matched._

 _-Vocal authentication: matched._

 _-Genetic authentication: matched._

 _-Magic Circuits measurement: [0]_

 _[Verification process completed, welcome to the museum of humanity's future.]_

 _[This is the Human Continuation Facility, Chaldea. You have been acknowledged as a member of the primates.]_

 _[Please have a good time here.]_

… _._

… _..._

… _urg….the voice….._

 _The moment she woke up from a dreadful headache, she saw a white ceiling stretching to nowhere. Her back leaning against the wall in a petal position was the first thing she noticed as the pain subsided._

 _No, not the wall. She was lying face up on the ground._

"… _fou…fou…."_

 _She heard an animal's voice, following by the calling of another person._

"… _.senpai, please wake up."_

 _So her body moved as told, slightly staggered_ _as the tireness still lingered_ _. She sat up to look at the owner of that soft, gentle tone._

" _It's neither day nor night at the time but sleeping on the floor is inappropriated."_

 _That was the very first time they met, it set up the starting point of the bond between Fujimaru Ritsuka and her most reliable kouhai,_ _ **Mash Kyrielight**_ _._

… _.._

… _.._

 _There were many steps she had to push through in order to become a magus. Things began by getting to know more about the organization aside from its purpose._

" _As you've been dismissed from the first mission, I'll guide you to your room.…..s-senpai, are you alright!? There are tears in your eyes!"_

" _The Director, she didn't have to pinch my face so hard." Fujimaru groaned, rubbing her red swollen cheeks._

 _She had had a great start in the central control room._

" _Well, you fell asleep during the briefing and the Director is not the type to go easy on others. Though, it's a good thing she didn't give you a slap, it's effective but it would be the worst wake-up call around."_

"… _fou! Four! Kyu!" Fou said something on her shoulder._

" _Even Fou-san agrees."_

" _What did he say?"_

" _He told you not to mind about it, the Director treats everyone the same except for professor_ _ **Lev**_ _. As he has been her supporter ever since the former Director passed away."_

" _I don't have the faintest idea of what he said and yet he said all of that within just three unintelligent words!? No, more importantly, you actually understand him!?"_

" _Yes, I'm familiar with him after all. It's been a year since Fou-san's settled down here in this base."_

 _Fujimaru realized how incredible her kouhai was on that day._

" _Four! Kuu! Kyu!"_

 _The squirrel-liked animal then jumped on Fujimaru's right shoulder, wrapping it tails around the neck to cuddle with her side ponytail._

" _Ehehe~, his fur is so smooth…ah wait, don't sniff my neck! It's tickling!"_

" _Fou-san seems to have taken a liking to you, senpai. He'll be watching over you, from here on you'll be in good hands."_

 _Before she left Fujimaru to her own privacy, Mashu escorted the last candidate to her working quarter._

" _This is as far as I go, I will head back to_ _ **Ophelia-san**_ _and the_ _ **A-Team**_ _to make preparation for the Rayshift experiment. If you have any other requests, please inform the staff. And if we're lucky, maybe we'll be able to meet again." The kouhai kindly said._

" _It's that so? Well then, I have a request to make." Fujimaru quickly took that offer and made her first call."For my kouhai."_

" _For me?"_

" _Since your name is Mash Kyrielight. Is it alright if I call you Mashu?" She smiled whole-heartedly." Mashu certainly has a nice ring to it, plus it sounds cute."_

" _I don't know where did you get that idea from but I wouldn't mind if you call me that way."_

" _Yes! Thank you, Mashu." Delight by the reply, she held Mashu's hands."Please be my friend!"_

 _The short lilac haired girl was taken aback by Fujimaru's sudden enthusiasm._

" _Heh!? S-Sure, I'll be senpai's friend." She lightly bowed her head down."I'll be looking forward to work with you…..is what I want to say. I can't think of a way to leave my good impression on you, I don't know if that is the right way to respond. Senpai, am I wrong?"_

" _No, you're not wrong. I'm also looking forward to see you again."_

" _Then, I will take my leave, please take care of yourself."_

 _After the girls exchanged a friendly smile, Mashu walked off and Fujimaru was left alone with the mystical creature._

 _From_ _there, another fateful meeting occurred._

" _Ehhhhh!? Who are you_ _!? This is an open room, right!? This is my truancy spot, isn't it!? Shouldn't you warn a guy before coming in!_ _"_

 _She_ _met him,_ _chewing on a delicious cake as_ _he_ _typed the keyboard_ _on_ _his laptop while_ _resting_ _on the bed in her own room._

" _H-Hey, I'm asking you."_

" _..."_

" _Just what are you staring at? Oh, is it my hair? I never have the time so I do it accordingly."_

" _..._ _fluffy_ _..."_

" _?"_

" _It looks so fluffy~! How did you_ _make your hair look like_ _that!? Please let me touch it for a bit!"_

" _Woah there! A person's hair is not something people can touch so casually, it'll ruin the nice pattern if you're not careful!" He pointed a finger at her."Now tell me, who are you and what are you doing in my perfect slacking place!? Hold on, don't tell me the Director already found out. That's no good, what should I do? Should I keep slacking or rather, should I come clean to Lev and tell him to get me out of the prying pan!?"_

 _Her first impression of him, a rather laid-back person who lacks the confidence to handle the most crucial things._

" _Uhm, I was just guided here to my room."_

 _The man quickly calmed down thanks to her info._

" _Ah, I see." A look of interest showed on his face as he looked at her. He must have got the gist of the situation."Right, the last of those potential Masters has finally showed up huh. Well, please to meet you. That was an unexpected meeting, let me introduce myself again."_

 _He gave her his name._ **Romani Archaman** , the head of the medical division and he appeared to have a chicken side in his personality.

" _At least, that's how people see it and they often call me Dr. Roman for short. You can call me like that if you prefer to." He brought out another cake, which was placed on the other side of her bed, and a couple bottles of sake."Now, candidate number 48_ _th_ _, Fujimaru Ritsuka, isn't it? For you to be here at a time like this is like I have another email friend to deal with my loneliness. Let's sit down and have a nice, relaxing chat with each other, okay?"_

" _In my room?"_

" _Yeah, just see to it as a little party. Besides, this is what friends always do to have fun. You don't seem like you're familiar with this place yet so I'm sure doing this will ease the tension on your shoulder a little bit. Wait, you're a little too young for sake, too. How about I make you something else to drink? We have tea and coffee here."_

 _Fujimaru pondered for moment but the brightest smile on his face shoved those needless thoughts aside. She went and sat on the seat next to him, spotting the same smile._

" _Then, I'll have….."_

 _Just like that._

 _T_ _hat moment, his face and the conversation they both had_ _in that little place,_ _became an important memory she would never forget._

 _..._

 _..._

"This is different than I imagine, aside from being energetic, I mean you acted rather carefree and quite outgoing in the narrative above." Kamijou pointed out."Am I looking at the same person?"

"Kamijou-kun, don't interrupt in the middle of my story. That was a year ago, a lot of things had happened, you have no idea how people changed during that time." Her arms crossed, she eyeing him with a suspicious glare."But I have to ask, you only pay attention to that part? Does the fact that I changed bothers you that much? Is that a bad thing?"

"I'm just wondering."

"Hmm." The glare intensified.

Kamijou noticed that.

"B-Because from what I've seen, every time you laugh or giggle, you always cover your mouth with grace. Also, you're good at cooking and have a knack of food decoration, proof is the salad dishes you made were really catchy for the eyes. Those delicate techniques are among the top qualities of a clever person." So he explained in a short hint of panic."Not only that, you saved me from being starved to death and you look really alluring in an apron! These factors combined telling me that you are very la…..lovely and a caring person!"

"…"

 **Doki! Doki!**

Someone's pulse increased.

Fujimaru let out a small sigh, unintentionally causing the boy to jolt a bit. She turned her head to the side as if she wanted to hide the expression from his view.

"…..why does he keep saying stuffs that make me….*mumble*…*mumble*…."

….it's not fair.

Thinking back to what he said, he just outright used the term lovely instead of ladylike to bring out more affection from her, didn't he? The nerve! Time to take the offensive!

"Then what is your opinion?" An imminent aura appeared around her as she began.

"?"

"I am your senpai. Based on your impression, don't you think I'm qualified to be included in the caring onee-chan category?"

"Fujimaru-san, I thi-"

"Call me senpai."

Her voice, somehow, it became so haunting.

"S-Senpai, I think we're straying from the topic. Shouldn't you continue the story?...please."

"…fine."

Just wait.

…I'll get you back for this one day, Kamijou-kun.

… _._

… _._

 **Part 2**

 _Emergency announcement roared at every corridors._

 _An explosion had occurred, the entire base fell into jeopardy as a result._

 _In the central control room, she heard a weak voice begging to be noticed. It came from among the falling rubbles and debris._

" _Mashu!"_

 _Fujimaru called out as the short lilac haired kouhai was found stuck in between the gap of heavy rocks. She tried to push the thing out of the way but the weak strength of a young girl couldn't make it budge even an inch._

"… _guh….."_

 _Mashu grimaced in pain, that expression worried her more than anything. She tried pushing the thing again and still no value to her effort._

"… _.s….enpai?"_

" _Mashu, I'm right here. Don't worry, I'll find a way to get you out."_

"… _no…it's useless….." Light in her eyes flickered, she was on the verge of losing consciousness."…..you….h…ave to…..get out….."_

 _Ignoring those words, Fujimaru looked around. There was a broken pipe in front of her, she quickly took it before the fire spread and swallowed it._

… _hot!_

 _The pipe was too hot for her to touch, regardless, she held it firmly despite the delicate skin in her palms were boiling in its intense heat. Using it as a level, she plunged the sharp end into the narrowed space besides Mashu and began lifting the rock by relying on her full body weight._

 _[Warning, suspension of the power department confirmed. Power generation insufficient.]_

 _The mechanic tone of the announcement added more fuel to the tense atmosphere._

 _[Automatic switching to reserve power currently impossible, manually change the power source is required. The bulkhead will be closing in 40 seconds. All personnel, please evacuate immediately.]_

 _The air filled with a heavy, burning smell._

 _Chaldea was in its most critical state, no other survivors was found in the room as the flame continued to stretch out even further._

… _almost there….!_

 _The rocks weighted down on Mashu's body was successfully moved as it fell to the side. But the situation didn't improve, nothing was in their favor._

 _Fujimaru opened wide her eyes in shock._

 _Lots of bloods were flowing, a large, sharp piece of glass had impaled the poor girl through her stomach. It mercilessly pinned her down to the solid concrete she laid on. Her breathing got slower by the minutes, as if her life was about to leave that wounded and fragile body._

"… _.M….Mashu…."_

… _this kind of wound…..it's already…_

 _At this moment, it was already too late to do anything._

"… _.yes…it's good that..y…ou….un…..derstand…quickly..." Looking at her friend, Mashu said each delayed word in a whisper."…please…..escap….e…."_

 _[Warning to all observing staff, Chaldea's current status is changing.]_

" _!?"_

 _[Shiva's observed near future data is being overwritten. Detecting no traces of humanity on Earth in the next years.]_

 _Something underwent a drastic change. Hanging in the center of the control room, the Global Environment Model named "CHALDEAS" carried the deepest red shade of the sun and emitted a strange sound. At some point, it stopped spinning._

 _[Unable to confirm humanity's survival. Humanity future is not guaranteed.]_

" _Not guaranteed? What is it talking about?"_

"… _.it's…..over…" Mashu titled her head to shift her fading vision at the fully closed bulkhead."….th…e…..bulkhead….has….shut….."_

 _Another explosion occurred, this time, it happened near them. Suffocating black smoke flew across the place._

 _The impact affected Mashu, she coughed rapidly in pain as if the harmful smoke stuck in her throat. Noticing the color on her face turned paler and paler like snow in each second passed, Fujimaru frowned, she knew there wasn't much time left._

 _A strong sense of dread hit her as she watched Mashu's life gradually faded away._

"… _..I'm…so…rry…..senpai…."_

" _!?"_

"… _if…..onl…y…..I…..didn't…."_

 _The rest couldn't be heard, Fujimaru saw her lip still moving but there was no sound coming out. The girl had already at her wit end, she no longer had the strength to speak properly, not even enough to utter a single word._

 _[Unable to access values of vitals of coffin Masters.]_

 _This situation._

 _The two of them had been sealed off from the outside world._

 _[Unable to reach minimum persons required for Rayshift. Seeking eligible masters…..]_

 _Fujimaru crouched down near the short lilac haired kouhai._

" _Mashu, don't worry."_

" _?"_

" _We'll manage somehow."_

 _She was fully aware of how hopeless everything had become, yet a smile managed to find its way to her lip, not of bitter but a very kind one._

 _[…eligible masters discovered. Reestablishing with Number 48, Fujimaru Ritsuka, as a Master.]_

 _There was no wavering emotion in that pair of orange orbs, she still held such optimistic view toward their predicament._

 _Oddly, Mashu felt the pain lessened, not as intense as before. She felt reassured by that smile, it gave her a little amount of strength to reach out her free arm toward her._

"… _.."_

 _Though, she could not speak. The movements of her lip was the only clue she could give as to express her last desire._

"… _ah."_

 _And Fujimaru understood that small wish. She knew what the girl was wanting to say._

… _ **..senpai, can you please hold my hand again?….**_

" _There you go."_

 _She reached out, caressing that trembling hand with all two of hers._

" _..kyuu!" From the side, Fou watched as the entire ground shook._

 _[Unsummon program start. Beginning_ _ **Spiritron**_ _conversion.]_

" _It's okay, I'm always right at your side."_

 _Hearing that, Mashu finally closed her eyes, that thin smile remained as if she had seen a beautiful thing._

 _[All operations cleared. Beginning_ _ **First Order**_ _verification.]_

… _.this is…how it ends, huh….._

 _Parts of the room started collapsing._

 _[Rayshift beginning in 3….2….]_

 _Fujimaru also did the same, the calm darkness appeared on the other side of her eyelids._

 _[1.]_

 _After that, everything truly went black._

… _._

… _._

"An explosion…..that explains why the area beneath this place is in ruined."

"It was a sabotage, the old facility where they conducted experiments in the past was right below the central control room. I think the impact from the explosion must have reached to that place."

"….forty seven people….."

"Aside from me, who wasn't there at the time, most of the Masters candidates didn't make it, they all caught up in the explosion. Those managed to survive suffered critical conditions, they were placed under cryotherapy in their coffins. At the moment, they are still asleep and receiving medical support in the stasis chamber. There's no telling when they will wake up."

"…I'm…sorry to hear that."

"It's alright, I achieved the goal we all were meant to do when they brought us here…not in the way I could afford to believe, though."

"….."

"Kamijou-kun, you can quit that "ah, she has that melancholy look in her eyes again." stare. I'm expressing everything to you here…..wait, not everything…."

"What do you mean?"

"A-Anyway! What happened after that…."

…

…

 **Part 3**

 _ **[?]**_

 _Fujimaru appeared baffled as she found herself lying inside an unkempt yard._

"… _.Mashu….."_

 _The young kouhai was nowhere to be found in her sight, only the grassy field that stretched out within the vicinity of a small garden was something she herself realized of her current whereabouts._

"… _.fou! Four!"_

" _You're here, too?"_

 _The mystical beast Fou was nudging her cheek. Carrying him in her arms, she sturdy herself and made her way toward a large, old building which she could see over a few branches of trees._

 _The girl didn't wear a watch or bring along anything that could help her estimate the course of time, it was difficult to tell what time it was._

 _The starless sky was pitch black as if night had fallen but Fujimaru wasn't really sure of what she saw._

 _Was it day or night at the moment?_

 _In her vision, a part of the sky above was painted in a bloody red color. Everything up there had a wavy-liked movements like dark clouds._

… _..this isn't the world after death, is it?_

 _That question gave her chill._

 _For the time being, she decided to let that question remained unsolved and focused on a different matter._

 _Once opening the sliding door leading inside, a tingling pain from the palms jumped her nerve._

… _.Itai!...forgot I burned my hand with that pipe, need to be more careful._

 _Going in, she took a small gasp out of air at the amazing interior._

… _..am I back to Japan?_

 _The house was built in a classical Japanese-style that can be considered as a rare structure in architectural history. Entrance hallway was stocked with several drawers made from the Meiji era, giving those who entered a historical vibe that can't be discarded until they leave. Floor was made entirely of wood, the type of quality material that wouldn't degrade over a long time. They were covered in dust, showing no sign of recent human activity._

 _Fujimaru glanced at the broken plate near her feet, she couldn't make out the characters overlapped by many layers of scratches. It must have been the name sign of the owner of this massive household._

 _The girl decided to wander inside._

 _As nobody was home, the air around the house gave her this strange feeling. It wasn't like she could feel it, yet, her intuition told her something invisible to the naked eyes was flowing in and out, rushing through her body in waves while she explored the property. Reaching what seemed to be a dining room, the girl sat down on the soft tatami floor to take a short break._

 _She made use of the time to clear out things in her mind._

 _A bunch of questions kept appearing one after another._

 _How did she get here in Japan?_

 _What was this place?_

 _What happened to Mashu and everyone back in Chaldea?_

 _She desperately wanted to know all the answers._

" _Kyu!"_

"… _gurh…."_

 _Suddenly, startled by an unknown force, Fou jumped to her face, causing the inexperienced Master to lose balance and fall flat on her back._

" _What is…..huh?"_

 _An object caught in her vision as she noticed it on the ceiling._

… _.wind bell…..?_

 _Not just one, there were lots of them attached to the upper interior surface. Some of them started ringing one by one, eventually altogether, delivering a gentle melody to her ears._

 _No, something was wrong, really wrong._

 _The more she listened to it, the more uneasy she felt in her chest. Those bells were not hanging up there for the purpose of soothing the residents of this house during hot summer days nor they were placed there as a mean for decoration. The meaning behind these melodies was far more than just typical sounds._

 _It was then, loud rumbling noises came from the entrance hallway._

 _Fujimaru heard it, she stopped moving. She was wise not to sticking her head out the door to see what made those sounds as footsteps were approaching closer._

 _If her guess was right, these melodies acted as a signal to warn the residents who lived here about something._

 _And the content of that signal can be easily guessed._

… _..someone with malicious intent is here!_

 _Giant shadows rose over the paper windows on the sliding door. She quickly grabbed Fou and backed away as those shadows broke in, erasing the last defensive line of their safety._

 _She was not in the presence of a group of normal individuals._

 _Those humanoid figures with the bizarre looks consisted of nearly black skin and creepy skull masks all charged at her once they saw her stood within their sight. The young girl hurriedly launched herself to the side, dodging a deadly slash just in time to escape from the reaper's fangs._

 _It happened too fast, she barely stood up to make a run for it. An extremely large arm swung down at her, the next attack only grazed her uniform. Unfortunately, the collision between the punch and the floor knocked her flying a few miles out the back._

… _..you have got to be kidding!_

 _In that vast yard, another enemy was already there waiting for Fujimaru's incoming. There wasn't much she could do in midair, so she gritted her teeth, bracing herself by instinct. She should have known how little that action would help, the normal strength of a high school girl wouldn't stand a chance against them._

 _Doing a quick spin, the cloaked figure struck her body with a round kick, deliberately blowing all the air out of her lung. Like a soccer ball hit the goal, the force from that violent hit threw her smashing through the rusty door belonged to an old storehouse._

 _Many broken appliances fell down from the shelves where she landed._

 _Red substance spilled from her mouth, Fujimaru's vision became blurry as she struggled to gather her consciousness. Somewhere under the uniform, a few ribs must have been broken._

"… _kuh…..guk….."_

… _..…it's no use…..my whole body feels numb….._

 _Slowly, the attackers approached her._

… _ **.say, I have a question….**_

 _A flashback repeated in her brain._

 _When you are at death's door, you see your life flashes before your very eyes. Maybe that was what she was seeing, a random memory. It became a reality at this moment._

… _ **.why is she keep calling me senpai?….**_

 _Before the briefing, she asked Mashu and Lev that question out of curiosity. The professor explained, for a girl like her, any older person around Fujimaru's age would definitely be called a senpai._

 _At first, she saw her way of addressing was purely a polite manner._

… _ **.ah, but perhaps this is the only time she's done it?...**_

 _At first, she thought the word itself had no significant meaning._

… _ **..hey, Mashu. Why do call that girl your senpai?...**_

 _At first, she believed it didn't hint anything special._

… _ **a….reason? Oh, right…**_

 _To her surprise, Mashu's answer was not what she would expect. She didn't called her the same way as others._

 _ **...out of all the people I've met here, Fujimaru-san seems to be the most "humane"…..**_

 _She was the only person Mash Kyrielight would address as her senpai._

 _ **...I truly feel no threat from her. In other words, she has no hostile motives whatsoever….**_

 _That girl actually felt calm being around her. Such a weird yet endearing reason._

 _Maybe her kouhai did have a good point._

 _It was because Fujimaru herself didn't pose any threat to anyone, this situation happened to her._

… _..ah…I'm hopeless._

 _To think she would remember that specific moment first before her demise, it meant that girl had left a very deep impression on her._

" _Fou! Fou!" Fou the squirrel-liked creature kept shouting at her._

 _Fujimaru didn't get what he said. Still, based on his behavior, she understood the little guy's action, he encouraged her to get up._

 _Too late._

"… _Fou-kun…run….."_

 _That extremely gigantic arm once again raised up high in the air._

 _Those figures with skull masks surrounded her, she was right next to their feet. Their shadows casted over her being._

 _Without the strength to move and with these wounds on her body, she couldn't run anywhere._

"… _..Ma….shu….."_

 _In her weakened voice, that name was spoken._

 _And very soon it would came…_

 _The respond to her calling._

 _In a flash of light, a great shield raised up, blocking the attack._

 _Beyond the sky, moonlight shredded through the darkest clouds and shined upon the entire residence. Somewhere among that transient radiance, a silhouette in black-purple armor stood before her very eyes._

* * *

 **\- Music 03: KYRIELIGHT composed by Ryo Kawasaki.**

* * *

 _It was a girl._

 _She had that recognizable short lilac haired just like her kouhai and without glasses._

 _Seeking the chance while the enemies were stunted by the sudden appearance, she rammed the shield forward, pushing the danger away from Fujimaru as to create a safe distance. The girl sturdy her own weapon, tightened her grip in the handle and prepared for the upcoming assault. The gigantic arm figure made the first move, its punch went straight for the shield. The inhuman brute force collision echoed with a sharp noise, blowing up all the dust under their feet. One quick motion, the girl bent her body over as the other mask wearing figure swung its sword at her from behind, the honed edge sliced through a few strings of her hair in that instance._

 _Immediately, the girl in black-purple armor countered back by twisting her position, sending a high-heel kick into that humanoid's abdomen. Never stopped there, she swung the massive round shield following the hit._

 _Paying attention closer to that giant metallic body, four legs were sticking out both horizontal and vertical made it appearance resemble to a holy cross. The longest leg, below, slammed into that cloaked figure's body as it was within its range. The sheer force alone from that hit had the enemy smashed into the wall, leaving a hole on it while the body disintegrated into black smoke._

 _The gigantic arm figure was taken aback, that moment of hesitation marked its fate._

 _To finish this off, the short lilac haired girl held the shield to her side, the other free hand grabbed the partly cross-shaped leg and dashed toward him._

 _It threw a panicking swing at her but that reflex happened a second too late. She ducked down, the large fist went over her head. With enough distance shortened, the whole body of that shield rotated like a mad typhoon, hitting the last enemy in its jaw with the motion of a boxer's right hook. Its entire existence was sent high sky in the air and vanished after crashing through the roof of the old building._

 _Fujimaru and Fou watched the whole fight in a daze._

 _Under the elegant moonlight, that girl, in her shining armor, turned around to look at them._

" _Are you alright, Master/Senpai?"_

 _That soft, determined voice gave away the identity of herself and Fujimaru could only stare in bewilderment. The last time she saw her was when she was smiling so weakly. She still couldn't believe in what in front of her._

" _Mash Kyrielight has come to your aid."_

 _And with a tender smile, the kouhai said._

" _ **I am your Servant."**_

 _The strange outfit, the shield and that unwavering look in her eyes. As if that person had long surpassed the definition of a human._

 _Something very similar to that of a hero._

… _._

… _._

On the edge of his seat, Kamijou was filled with anticipation.

"I know what you're thinking, my kouhai was really badass, wasn't she?"

"Based on your telling, yeah, she really is."

Fujimaru gave a satisfied nod at his reaction.

"From that point, we went to the city to investigate what happened. Along the way, we found the Director, she was being chased around by a group of skeleton."

"That's…..disturbing."

"All in a good day's work, she got rescued in the nick of time. Dr. Roman…" There was a short pause from Fujimaru when that name was spoke of."He reestablished the communicate channel and guided us through the whole ordeal by Director's instruction. There was an ambush but fortunately, we walked out alive thanks to another Servant's support. At the time, Mashu was inexperienced and I was a little bit wounded, we couldn't take on the battle too many times."

"…"

"We decided to find a safe place and rest…"

…

….

 **Part 4**

 _ **[Singularity F; Fuyuki City]**_

 _Through the city contaminated by the sea of flame, they sought sheltered inside a school building._

 _The tittle spells_ _ **Homurahara Academy**_ _._

" _All the other rooms looks empty, I guess there are no survivors here, either."_

" _Then that means we can take a short break without being disturbed. Say, Master, why don't you, Shielder ojou-chan and that little miss haughty go rest in that corner over there?"_

" _Who do you ca-"_

" _You're right, putting all the tables together can make yourself a sturdy bed to lay on. The curtain is still usable, that spot will definitely keep us hidden from plain sight."_

" _Our Shielder adapts to the circumstance pretty fast, huh?"_

" _Hey, don't ignore me!"_

" _Chulainn-san, shouldn't you need to take a rest?"_

" _No worry, I'll just scout around in case that bastard Archer is staring death at us from some high vantage points again. I still have plenty of mana so you girls should save your energy for the time being. Especially you, Master, forming contract with two Servants at the same time while having those wounds will eventually put a massive burden on your body."_

 _All eyes directed at Fujimaru, who already helped herself and sat down on one of the leftover seats near there to take a break. Aside from the staggering movements, on both her shoulder and leg was small injuries repeatedly caused by a sharpened shaft._

" _Senpai, please take it easy. Who would have thought you pulled such a stunt to protect Director from Archer's arrows."_

"… _I….I'm fine, these are just scratches…"_

 _Fujimaru tried to laugh it off. Unfortunately, it backfired._

" _No you're not! Please refrain from those reckless actions and let me be the one to protect us. For now, you should lay down and rest."_

 _Setting the shield aside, Mashu went and carried her senpai bridal style. Being a Heroic Spirit had its own convenience in strength as Fujimaru was extremely light to her._

" _W-Wait, Mashu, I can go there on my own!"_

 _Despite the auburn haired girl protested with a prominent blush on her face, the kouhai still brought her to the corner and set everything up accordingly to Chulainn's advice._

" _Ja~, as a gentleman and as an understanding Servant, I'll leave you all to your own personal space and go somewhere else."_

" _Hold your horse!" The Director stopped him."Don't wander off when your Master need your help the most, you're supposed to fulfill the duty of a Servant!"_

 _Chulainn, in respond, let out a long sigh. That attitude annoyed her further._

" _Listen here, little miss haughty."_

" _I have a name!"_

" _Why don't you calm down for a second? Shielder might be inexperienced but she's capable enough to deal with those maggots alone by herself. And you are the brain of this group, you lack the abilities to be a Master but your leadership and the top-notch quality of your magical energy aren't something to be laughed at either. Might as well use those talents to work up some strategies to fence off enemies attacks the next time they come again."_

"… _."_

" _As for Archer, no need to be anxious, leave him to me to deal with." Hanging the staff over his shoulder, Chulainn winked at Fujimaru and Mash then turned to the door."Just help yourself and rest for the time being. Usually, I have the worst luck every time I'm being summoned."_

 _The gallant hero of Irish mythology grinned, fully confident in what lied ahead of the path he was leading them._

" _But now I can say for sure that the goddess of fortune is on my side today, having the honor to accompany three beautiful ladies during this crazy war has proven that point."_

 _Calmly, he declared._

" _We'll definitely won't lose."_

 _And the door closed shut._

… _._

… _._

The young Master giggled as she remembered something.

"That reminds me, Cú's Lancer version also has extremely low luck like you. How about I introduce you to him? Maybe you two will get along pretty well."

"That doesn't sound very assuring of an idea. My luck here is bad, rotten, plague." He stressed every single adjective in that last part."It's the true form of misfortune, the term low is not enough to be called an equal."

"Come on, there's no way it could be that bad." Fujimaru set what she thought was the joke aside.

Still, Kamijou never joked about something as serious as his rotten luck.

"Has the kitchen ever blown up, leaking gas once when he comes near?"

"No."

"Has he ever been chased around by many groups of thug?"

"No."

"Has he ever been electrocuted many time by a high-voltage gir-I mean container?"

"No?"

"Has he ever got wrecked and dragged around the world on multiple occasions?"

"If I recall it right, there was a time he got wrecked in the middle of fishing and dragged around a certain town by **Hercules**."

"Has he ever got impaled by a sharp spear?"

"I didn't ask."

"Has he ever got shot in the back? Smacked in the head? Cut off one arm? Thrown into jail? Ditched onto space? Fall from 2000m high? Drown in the ocean? Frozen to nearly dead? Rammed by a truck? Eaten by a dinosaur? Kidnapped? Buried alive? Bitten in the head every day?"

"What's with that list of horrible accidents!? Kamijou-kun! Are you really sure you're alright!? Are you really sure you're not under some kind of curse!?"

One dark snicker came from the spiky haired boy.

"Never underestimate my misfortune."

"That's not something to be proud of!"

…

…

 **Part 5**

 _When she came to, she realized her eyelids were closing. Had she dozed off without knowing?_

 _Other than that…._

… _.what is this sensation?_

 _She felt something enveloped a part of her body, a warm feeling made the pain recede. Fujimaru opened her eyes to check the source._

" _Director!?"_

 _Much to her shock, it was the flow of magical energy, from the Director who was curing her wounds and for some reason, she did that in secret. The pampered princess also returned her a jaw dropped expression once her action was being found out._

" _You!..." Her mouth shut just in time to regain the usual composure."D-Don't say anything and be quiet, I'm trying to heal your injuries using a very small amount of mana, the Servants and the enemy won't notice."_

 _The cut on her leg, they disappeared slowly, leaving no trace of bruise when that warming light reached on. Was she doing this out of guilt that she couldn't give her a proper thank you after being saved?_

" _Now, sit up. I'll treat your shoulders next."_

" _Y-Yes." Fujimaru immediately did as told._

 _Surprisingly, her words contained such strong force. Maybe it was just like as Chulainn and Dr. Roman commented, when Director became serious at something, her talent as the young leader of Chaldea began to resurface._

… _.she's not a bad person, but her personality makes it look so to others' eyes._

" _Done, hurry up and turn the other way."_

" _Say, Director, how exactly are you able to use magic?"_

" _Every magus can use magic, why does a substitute commoner like you want to know about that?" She eyed her suspiciously._

 _Fujimaru's eyebrows twitched._

" _I just want to know…..because you know, I've never seen magic before."_

" _A civilian, aren't you? What is your magic circuits' measurement, Fujimaru?"_

"… _..it's….um…it's a zero."_

 _The white haired haughty Director gasped in horror. What she heard gave her a panic attack._

"… _z-z-z…ze…ZERO!? This is unbelievable! A zero you say!?" She snapped._

" _Director, your voice!"_

 _She quickly covered her mouth. That was too close, it would have been troublesome if the enemy heard it._

" _This is utterly hopeless…." The Director face-palmed, her tone was soft yet Fujimaru could feel the irritation still remained."And here I thought this girl is a capable magus considering how she was able to help me avoid death just a moment ago. Just what was Lev doing bringing these ignorant people to my Chaldea?"_

… _.well, sorry for not living up to your expectation._

" _It can't be help, I shall give you another crash course." She frowned, pointing a finger at her."Do not think I'll let that detail slide, you're my tool and there's no way I'll accept an inexperience commoner to walk around Chaldea under my watch. At this rate, people will laugh at my leadership, the Animusphere's pride will be at risk. After this, be prepared for a day long lecture and pack your stuff to go home."_

" _Oh, Director! How kind of you." Roman's voice chimed in from the communicate device on Fujimaru's wrist._

" _Be quiet you!"_

 _It wasn't sarcasm._

 _If you read her words in between the line, it meant…_

" _To be a magus, you need to gain proper knowledge in order to learn and use magic. Don't get the wrong idea, I'm only teach you the basic because I own you for saving me. However, Chaldea's mission is not a place for normal individuals to get involved, I don't want to put you in any more danger than this. After we're done, I will send you back home, I can't let a normal person to work in such extreme environment."_

 _Fujimaru imagined the haughty Director said those words while she looked away with a blushing face. The young leader of Chaldea would have been such an interesting person if that was real._

… _._

… _._

" _Ughh, this floor smells so bad…I hate this place."_

 _Fujimaru smile wryly at the harsh remark._

" _Mash, be on your guard." Giving the instruction, the white haired Director switched to the doctor, who appeared on a hologram panel."Romani, you watch the perimeter. If there's a sign of enemy nearby, notify me immediately."_

" _Roger."_

 _Once things settled, the lesson began._

" _Remember, there exists two type of magical energy, Mana and Od."_

 _To help Fujimaru understand through visual info, the white haired Director drew images on the floor using a chalk._

" _Mana is a form of energy produced by the Earth. It acts as the life force of the planet and occupies the atmosphere. Od, on the other hand, is the life-force energy found within living organisms such as us human and animals."_

" _Hm, I see, I see. Od here is similar to chakra…..ouch! Ouch! Itai! Director, I'm sorwwy, lease on't pinch i eek (please don't pinch my cheek)!"_

" _Don't interrupt me when I'm in the middle of teaching. Also, don't compare Od to chakra, that's a different type of energy and it has nothing to do with magic."_

" _I'm sorwy, I'm sorrwy!"_

" _Now, back to the lesson, Od is produced as long as one lives, but the amount a person can store varies from individual to individual._ _The difference between Mana and Od is their abundance. Mana can be found almost anywhere and in great quantities, thus it is called the Greater Source by the magi. As Od is the energy inside humans and animals, it is much smaller in amount and is called the Lesser Source. Strictly speaking, Mana and Od are energy in its raw state, whereas magical energy is the name given to the energy once it is converted by the Magic Circuits. Mana can be taken in accordingly with the capacities of the Magic Circuits, but the actual conversion process will take time_. _"_

 _Finishing the explanation, she put the chalk away and looked at the auburn haired girl._

" _Fujimaru, do you understand what I'm saying?"_

"… _.."_

"… _.."_

"… _..to….too much information…." Fujimaru sweat dropped, hanging her head in defeat._

 _The Director let out a small sigh._

" _Honestly, I should have expected less. Fujimaru, show me your hand, either is fine."_

" _L-Like this?"_

 _Her hand stretched out, the other girl widened her eyes once she saw the state of her palm._

" _You…..your palm is burnt…when did you get this wound!? Was it from the attack back then!?"_

… _..ah….that's right, I got those because of that pipe…_

 _Fujimaru was so caught up in the situation that she forgot about it._

" _Fine, we can see this as an opportunity to show you how magic work." The Director then held that small hand with hers, not too loose and not too forceful. Fujimaru realized how soft they were once she felt the touch."There are many different ways to activate certain spells. However, the most common practice for magus to start up the spell is that they use Mana, the power of the Greater Source, in combination with Od."_

 _Slowly, a tiny particle of light became visible as she continued with a very calm expression._

" _The life force of nature, as we absorb it, magic circuits from the inner world, our body, will begin to convert that life force into magical energy."_

 _The light became brighter as a single particle multiplied, creating a warm green light of energy and wrapped around Fujimaru's hand._

" _Regarding nature interference, magical energy doesn't have any elemental attribute. Od serves as the trigger to generate the spell upon contacting the foundation of the world, and Mana exists to keep that flow running, very similar to how gasoline is used to keep a car's engine working. That's how I use healing spell to cure your injuries. The same goes with Gandr, such is the law of magic of this world."_

 _The burnt flesh in her palm began to disappear, replaced by a new layer of skin._

" _Another thing, only small-scale spells that do not interact with the environment directly are performed entirely with Od, some example of which would be Reinforcement, as it only enhances the body of caster and nothing else."_

 _This was magic, the other side of the world Fujimaru would never know as an ordinary high school girl._

" _That is the basic concept you should know in order to cast spells. How was it, do you truly understand everything I said?"_

 _Fujimaru nodded with a yes. That decision invoked another side of her leader._

" _Hm, hm~, good." The Director was pleased, smiling in a bumptious manner."You should be able to understand that much, you commoner's level is nowhere near for me to give you a passing grade but this can be called an improvement. Try to keep it up."_

" _Yes, I guess the way you explained the definition of magic to me was very easy to remember."_

"… _well….well, of course! I'm very good at teaching others, if I don't, I would be an insult to the Animusphere."_

 _Really, this person had a way too interesting personality._

… _..could this be…..tsundere?_

" _Now, since your magic circuits is a total 0, it doesn't mean you can't use magical energy. Your senses just have very limited access to the flow of mana in your body."_

"… _my senses…?"_

 _The Director nodded._

" _Place the other hand on mines and close your eyes. The next step is the most important, I'll give you the push you need so you can feel the source of your energy."_

 _Fujimaru did as follow and one again stared into the darkness as her eyes closed. She could hear her leader whispering something under her breath, perhaps she was chanting. It was another language, it was difficult for her to make out the meaning behind._

 _As the chanting came to a halt, Fujimaru felt an abnormal current of electricity rushed through her body, trying to pull her consciousness away to another place._

 _This process repeated, repeated and repeated._

 _Then….._

 _Something incredible happened._

 _Something she had never seen before._

… _.._

… _._

* * *

 **\- Music 04: Ocean of Memories composed by Hideyuki Fukasawa.**

* * *

 _Fujimaru had no idea where she was._

 _Maybe her consciousness had been dragged away to another world, or to the end of the universe._

 _Maybe this place, this entire scenery where she was floating within, belonged to a higher plane of spiritual existence._

 _Maybe all of this was the inner world the Director had mentioned._

 _Astoundingly breathtaking._

 _It there was a word to describe what appeared in front of her very eyes, it would be the only term that could comprehended this amazing feeling in her chest._

 _An empty void filled by an endless ocean of stars, everything showed in an illusory aurora. Mysterious and captivating at the same time._

 _Such was a sight to behold._

 _And she was at the center of this ocean, like another version of a Solar System._

 _The stars or how they appeared, they were all glittering beautifully around her. They moved around, diverting, exchanging the source of light theirs celestial bodies contained with each other._

 _These bright orbs, one of them headed toward her direction._

 _As the auburn haired girl kept on admiring the view, it overwhelmed her entire being._

 _Then, she witnessed them._

 _The many fragments of that girl's memories._

…

…

 _ **[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]**_

 _Animusphere._

 _The Director's last name, her lineage's prideful title as it was called. If translated implicitly, the meaning behind would be the soul of heaven._

 _It suggested the following:_

 _-The observation to the many stars living above the sky._

 _-The duty of seeking guidance, looking far into the future of humanity._

 _-The protection from those celestial existences in the cosmos ensures the possibility where mankind will exist long and prosper._

 _The future can never be determined through any normal convention, not by anything. However, the world has many aspects that could affect its own record by every small change._

 _Magecraft had advanced further and so was humanity's growth, it was only a matter of time before magi are able to discover the pathway to_ _ **Akasha**_ _, where the original concept of impossible and the "truth" resided. When it happened, the Common Sense of Man would become a threat to the World, to_ _ **Alaya**_ _itself._

 _Extinction would be the final judgment._

 _The scenario was deemed as unlikely to happen, in another words, unreal to become a reality. But no one can be sure if such a serious matter will not occur in the near future._

 _For the purpose of observing both the magical and scientific aspects of the world, CHALDEAS and_ _ **SHEBA**_ _were built in order to achieve said goal, to clear a path for humanity to continue existing in both the past and future eras._

 _From there, Chaldea Security Organization was found, all to serve for that one purpose._

" _We are to preserve the reign of the Human Order, above all else. That is the responsibility of the head of Chaldea, of the Animusphere family."_

 _Those were the words_ _ **Marisbilly**_ _had spoken to his daughter as they monitored closely the final stage of CHALDEAS's construction._

 _The six years-old innocent daughter who knew nothing at the time memorized her father's words._

 _She promised herself to never forget them._

 _ **[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]**_

… _._

… _._

 _Fujimaru noticed her surrounding changed._

 _And came the next vision of that person's memory._

… _._

… _._

 _ **[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]**_

 _Three years ago, on a certain calm morning._

 _Standing among the group of those who attending the funeral, she stared at the name of her father eternally engraved into the headstone._

 _They said he had committed suicide. The cause of this sudden tragedy, his course of action, was undetermined._

 _It came to her as a huge shock. She couldn't believe it._

 _In silence, she cried._

 _That was the last time she allowed herself to weep like a little child._

 _Because she knew her father had given her an important duty to fulfill and she must accept it. To inherit the legacies he left behind, she must continue to walk the path for her father's sake._

" _As the new head of the prestigious Animusphere family and as the Director of Chaldea."_

 _The fifteen years-old daughter swallowed the bitterness and from that moment, she made up her mind._

 _ **[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]**_

… _._

… _._

 _The sight changed again._

 _And another memory came._

… _._

… _._

 _ **[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]**_

 _Looking in the mirror, her expression was so paled._

 _She thought nothing could go wrong if she took on her late father's position._

 _Yet, things went beyond her imagination._

 _She was scared._

 _She was horrified._

 _It was nerve-wrecking when she came across those files on his office desk. She was still a student, this was not something she could handle._

 _Her ideal father, the person she looked up to and loved dearly, what had he done behind the back of the world all this time!?_

 _Creating genetically engineered babies and conducting experiments on their bodies. Those inhuman, cruel experiments were part of the legacies he built for this place!? In order to preserve the Human Order, he went as far as to commit many sinful acts against human's morality!?_

" _Why!? Why was he doing all of that!?"_

 _Why did she even volunteer to be the head of such a place!? What was there she could be proud of about these legacies knowing that person left her behind to deal with this horrible mess!?_

… _.no, I don't want to get involved with this! I have nothing to do with those deaths!_

 _The daughter collapsed, she felt sick, helpless._

 _The prideful name Animusphere she carried, it had been stained. Her stomach upset so much she couldn't breathe, she felt like vomiting._

"… _..guh…"_

 _By now, it was too late to withdraw._

" _Director?"_

 _Fearful for her life, the daughter quickly back away from the door once she heard a female's voice from the other side._

 _That girl was here! She finally took the chance to take revenge on her! This was a payback for all the things the Animusphere had done to her and the others!_

" _Are you in there?"_

" _Get away from me!"_

 _This was the restroom, she was trapped in a narrowed space. There was no way she could escape from being killed._

" _I didn't do it! I don't know anything about those experiments!"_

"… _.Direc-"_

" _I gave you freedom and human rights to repent for everything he had done to you! Why is it not enough!?"_

… _no more…don't kill me…..!_

 _Without any permission, the door opened, the daughter realized a second too late, the fear had got the better of her and she even forgot to lock it. As a result, the last barrier separating life and death was broke much to her horror._

" _PLEASE DON'T KILL MEEEEEEEEEEEE!" She screamed aloud, hoping her voice would reach someone._

" _Calm down, Director! No one is going to kill anybody! But if you can yell that loud then I guess your health is in good shape."_

" _Romani?"_

 _It was the doctor, who opened that door. No one else but him stood there._

" _Man, Director, you're such a handful- bufgad!"_

 _She threw soap into his face._

" _What are you doing here!? This is women's restroom!"_

" _It's way past the time for your health inspection, I was worried something might happen so I came running around looking for you. Lev said he saw you went to this area so I check."_

" _Lev? Lev told you that?" Hearing that name, she gradually calmed down."Are there anyone besides you coming in here? Is that girl outside?"_

 _Dr. Roman took that as a cue to hand her a bag of medicine._

" _Your hysterical trait is increasing again, you're under a lot of stress, Director. Your emotions is currently unstable, you need to drink this and take a short rest from your duty."_

" _No, I heard her voice. She's definitely out there."_

" _That's exactly the point, you're suffering from Neurosis and Pervasive Refusal Syndrome, a really heavy case at that. I have to wonder, does my manly voice sounds like a girl that much? I'm starting to feel hurt."_

 _He was telling her the truth._

 _And the girl could only widen her eyes in disbelieve._

 _At the time, due to the shock from the discovery of her father's horrible deeds, the young new leader of Chaldea began to suffer from mental disorder._

 _ **[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]**_

…

…

 _Once again, another memory appeared._

…

…

 _ **[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]**_

 _The process hadn't turned any better._

 _Every single time she assigned them to do something, half-baked responds or clumsy written reports were what she would get in return._

 _How dare them! Just what were they working in this facility for!?_

" _Enough is enough!" She slammed the documents on top the desk."Do you think I will accept this rubbish? Write another one, this time it needs to have the information I can read and understand!"_

 _The staff flinched at her outburst, they didn't dare to talk back and just kept silence._

" _Remember, the future of humanity is on ours shoulders! I don't need anyone working here in my Chaldea with this kind of nonsense attitude!"_

 _Having done listening to the earful scolding, they all left. She, alone in her private office again, collapsed on her seat as her leg finally lost the strength to stand._

 _Big, roughed gasps continuously left her mouth._

 _She was under stress again, the heavy, unpleasant atmosphere always surrounded her, extremely suffocating._

 _This was not good, she needed to keep everything together. Falling into distress right now won't help anything._

 _The burden of the Animusphere, her own family, it was her duty to carry it without complaining. The pressure from the Mage's Association and sponsors, she had to get used to it, coping with it._

 _Being the head of a secret organization that was hidden from the outside world and carrying the responsibility to achieve the purpose of its creation, even a small mistake was unacceptable._

 _Shouldering the whole world for its future to be long and prosper, this was what it felt like to handle such a task._

 _ **[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]**_

… _.._

… _..._

… _.._

 _ **[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]**_

 _Her mental illness had begun to subside._

 _But the hardship won't just end there._

" _Our Director is so useless."_

" _You're right, I really don't detest her that much since she's still young but that bitchy girl is such a tyrant. She does nothing but abuses her power to make us work for her."_

" _Have you heard? It was determined that she had zero aptitude for being a Master."_

" _Now that's a scandal."_

" _In the end, she's just a rich girl who receives benefit from her parents, all of these are just inheritance from the previous Director. Let's be honest, she is incapable to be the leader, it's not like she has any talent to begin with."_

 _Quietly standing behind a corner, she listened to their talk. She was fully aware of how the staff viewed their leader._

 _Doubting._

 _Confused._

 _Repulsive._

 _The various expressions of those who worked under her, a tangle mess of sorrow she felt._

 _Spouting those words while they had no idea what kind of stuff she went through, a bunch of irresponsible individuals. She had almost reached her limit, what else did they want her to do?_

 _The Director, now found herself staring at the mirror again, questioned her self-value._

 _In the year 20XX, after many years of observation, an anomaly was found. The light of civilization were confirmed by SHEBA that it would vanish. Human extinction was estimated to happen in the next year._

 _Opinions appealed from around the globe. Plus, with the currently state of her leadership, a young girl like her could never shoulder the future of mankind. Maybe they were right, maybe they all had a good point._

 _Something wet in the corner of her eyes, noticing that, she quickly washed her face._

… _.guh….don't cry…you're not allowed to cry again, Marie….._

 _This amount of intense stress, it weighted her down. She was afraid that she might collapse again at this rate._

 _These annoying mental disorders, was medicine all she needed to cure this?_

 _If there was someone who willing to help her, who could she reach out at a time like this?_

" _Director."_

" _?"_

 _As she returned to her quarter, Lev stood there in front of the entrance. He had been waiting for her._

" _I have medicine from Romani. If you don't feel well, you should take it. Your health has been poor these last few days."_

" _Lev, I think you ought to be a better Director than me."_

 _This man had always managed things better than her, everyone including her subordinates all placed their trust on him. He possessed an intelligent mind and was quick to solve every given task in a splendid manner._

 _The position she occupied, he should have been the one to earn it. It belonged to someone as flawless as him, not her._

" _This isn't like you to be depressed at all."_

" _Not like me? You have no idea what I have been through!"_

" _You father had this quote." Still remained calm before her, he spoke."No matter what the circumstances, one will always dedicate themselves. That is the pride of the Animusphere."_

 _Her father said that?_

" _Yes, he did. And you're doing exactly as he wished. Right now, you're dedicating as much as you could to continue the path he chose, are you not?"_

"… _.."_

" _It'll be alright, Marie. You still have me." He placed a hand on her shoulder, that calm demeanor eased her nervous."I'll always support you."_

 _True to those words, he had always been supporting her. And she realized an important fact in her life._

 _ **Lev Lainur Flauros**_ _was the only person she could rely on at these moments, these crisis that dragged her down to the bottom._

… _I'll have to try harder…doing the best I could…_

… _.._

… _.._

 _Which was why…._

 _[No more than 10 survivors were found, not including the professor.]_

 _Hearing those words had nearly pushed her mental over the edge. If her heart had not hardened because of everything she went through, the girl was afraid that she would truly become devastated._

 _In the end….._

 _All the efforts she had spent._

 _No one else were there to acknowledge them._

 _No one else remained for her to rely on._

 _Her pleading voice that tried to reach out for help, eventually, became unreachable._

 _ **[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]**_

… _.._

… _.._

 _That was the last memory Fujimaru witnessed. The girl wasn't sure if she understood everything that flashed before her eyes._

 _However, she did came to notice a certain fact._

 _This whole place was filled with beautiful stars, yet it left a sense of agony. Consisting of none but sad memories._

 _A holy sea of bitterness, it fully described the meaning of her name._

… _.this is…..Director's inner world…._

 _This would explain all._

 _How she became "downright evil" as Mashu called it._

 _How she became a tyrant to Chaldeans._

 _How she became a person who showed that mean attitude toward everyone but the professor. Who would have thought there was such a backstory behind that girl's personality._

" _Fujimaru?"_

" _?"_

 _In that mystical void, someone called out to her. Whoever that was, they were trying to bring her back to reality. They succeeded….._

 _ **Slap!**_

 _With a slap._

… _.._

… _.._

 _She fully awakened with a swollen red cheek._

" _Senpai, you finally woke up. You suddenly faint and slept like a log again. And it seems I was in the wrong, the slap turns out to be the best wake-up call after all."_

" _W-What happened?"_

" _The Director heard you mumbling 'please don't kill me', '…you have no idea…', '…always support you' or something along the line while you were asleep. She tried to wake you up but you didn't, she even pinched you on the cheek and you still won't flinch. You're a heavy sleeper, senpai. That's why she decided to go with a stronger measure."_

 _Fujimaru shifted her view to the Director in confusion._

 _*Gulp*_

 _Based on the glare she directed at her in a not so amusing way, she probably knew Fujimaru peeked into her memories._

" _Fujimaru Ritsuka, you got some guts dozing off in the middle of my lesson."_

… _..or not._

" _Honestly, you're just a commoner and yet, you already give me a headache twice on your first day." Letting out a sigh, she crossed her arms and went back to the matter at hand."Take off your shirt."_

" _Heh?"_

" _I said take off your shirt." She wasn't kidding in the slightest._

" _Y-Yes."_

" _Now, what do you see?"_

 _Dim sources of light emitted on her left shoulder. Like a group of constellations formed by the imaginary outlines, they connected to each other, creating the perfect shape of a shining star._

 _In other words, it was a_ _ **Magic Crest**_ _engraved on her skin_ _ **.**_

 _An emblem which embodied the pride of the Animusphere._

" _The magic circuits I forged into that will temporary grant you the access to the mana flowing in your body. This is an urgent situation so I made that for you to be more helpful as a Master for the time being, once we get back, I will definitely erase it. Now try to stay focus this time, you need to learn spells and practice in order to get a good grasp of how to activate your own magic circuits. Since we don't have time for that, I've already transplanted ahead a few simple magic spells for you. You should give them a try, the name of the spells are….."_

 _Fujimaru casted First Aid after listening to the given names. A moment later, no more wound available on her maiden's skin._

 _For the first time in her life, she was able to perform the thing that could only be seen in a fantasy book._

" _Ohhhh~, it actually works!" Roman's astonished voice came from the device._

" _Congratulation, senpai!"_

"… _.Director….."_

" _How was it, your first time casting magic?" She smiled, reversing back to her pampered princess personality."The crash course will end here. Fufu~, how is my teaching? It's pretty simple and easy to understand, don't you think so? That's expected of a person belongs to the Animusphere family such as me! So praise me and be grateful for I have given you the magic circle that serves as the symbol of my family!"_

"… _."_

 _Telling Fujimaru to praise her reminded the girl about the memories she saw within her "inner world". She could clearly see drops of sweat broke out from her high forehead. The Director appeared very tired, stressful from all that battles and running around Fuyuki._

 _And yet, she was still willing to fight back that stress and gave some time to teach her magic in the most efficient way._

" _Hey, why are you keeping silent all of sudden? W-Wait! Why are you crying!?"_

 _This person, deep down, she genuinely cared about Chaldea and her subordinates. She put on such a selfish, strong font to hide her weak side from everyone, she refused to let that side of her resurfaces if she were to follow her father's wish._

 _With Lev gone, she just wanted her effort to be acknowledged by someone else she could rely on again._

 _Fujimaru saved her from the reaper's scythe that were Archer's deathly ambushes. Thus, it made her another person she could place her little trust for once while they got stuck in Singularity F._

"… _..*whimper*…..*whimper*….Director, can I give you a hug? Please let me give you a hug!"_

" _S-Stay away, this is unsightly! Just a thank you very much will do, no need to go to this extent!"_

" _Thankkkkkk youuuuuu sooo sooooooo muchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Fujimaru cried harder._

" _What has gotten into you!? It sounds like you are pitying me instead of being grateful! Halt! Your nose! Wipe your nose first! Gyaa! Mash, do something about your Master!"_

" _But still, how did senpai able to use magic despite her magic circuits measurement is 0?"_

 _Mashu was too busy solving her question._

" _It's very basic." Dr. Roman explained through the communicate channel."Mana exists in all living organism, anybody can have the potential to gain the title magus once they can activate their own magic circuits even if they are just normal human. This applies to Fujimaru-chan as well. The number zero here doesn't mean magic circuits doesn't exist within her body, it just there, untouched and waiting to be used. Our kind and dedicate Director here give her the chance to work it out by giving her own mana to act as a catalyst for that. In a sense, that flow of magical energy interacted with Fujimaru's magic circuits and caused it to be functional. You can think of it as something similar to charging a device with sunlight energy instead of the usual batteries."_

" _Doctor, I don't think that depiction is good enough to help people get a good grasp at the circumstance."_

" _Then, think of it in a fancier way, a protagonist you don't normally see anywhere gains a new awakened power."_

 _Mashu decided to ignore that._

" _Then, what the Director did was…..?"_

" _Well, the method she used is slow and effective when it comes to transferring a little amount of mana to another person. It's the…man, how do I say this? Let's just say it's the most decent version of Mana Tra-"_

" _Romani, you be quiet!"_

… _._

… _._

That was how Fujimaru had her first experience in magic.

"She taught me. But at this point, without the Mystic Codes, I'm still pretty much an amateur."

"This Director person didn't sound like a bad individual, either."

"She wasn't, it was the circumstances that forced her to become like that. At the time, she had a lot of anxiety in her mind. Because of the position she took hold, the burden ended up growing too quickly for her to handle. She was still a student and because of her father's wish, she desperately tried to prove to everyone that she could handle the responsibilities of such a large task while searching for a purpose."

Fujimaru started to recall the dream she had in the Lost Room, the conversation with the Director who couldn't reach this future.

"For once she wanted to be truly happy."

"But that was a year ago, right? She should have gotten better at managing this place by now."

"…."

"Fujimaru-san?"

"You know, the memories I saw within her, the hardships she went through. Before, only Dr. Roman and Lev knew. And now, it's just me. I'm the only one who's still remembering all those struggles of the previous head of Chaldea."

The tone of her voice changed, Kamijou understood something had happened.

"She was betrayed. No, we all were betrayed…."

….

….

 **Part 6**

 _It was the greatest betrayal._

 _That man, as he stood tall on the high ground, displayed his malevolent intent by a snap of his fingers._

 _A portal opened, connecting two dimensions with each other. It showed the victim of his scheme a burning red sphere._

 _The environment model CHALDEAS was a body composed of high density cluster of quantum particles that forms the substance of the soul, like a black hole. It was also speculated to be the domain of another dimension._

 _Any direct contact with it will result in a gruesome decomposition._

 _And the possessed man intended to do exactly the same with the young leader of Chaldea._

" _Being broken down to a molecular level, that is what I call true hell."_

 _He was in full control of her movements. The Director, who was slowly levitated from the ground, couldn't resist his magic._

" _No….no, no! No! NOOOO!"_

" _Descendant of Animusphere, consider this as a gift of mercy from me. Now, don't hold back and enjoy the infinite numbers of deaths while still being alive."_

" _No! Help me! Someone save me!" She screamed. She didn't have the strength move her head, she couldn't look over her shoulder."Mash! Fujimaru!"_

 _Fujimaru knew she couldn't be hesitated upon the truth about the death of her leader. In that demon's presence, she was overwhelmed by his extreme animosity._

" _Why is this happening to me!? I don't want to die like this!"_

 _Someone was about to be killed in front of them and her mind was filled with fear. Lev had a sadistic smile on his face while he enjoyed the taste of despair from them, they were no match for that man._

 _If she made a wrong move, she would be the next victim._

" _I tried my best! I tried to save humanity as my father's wish!"_

 _Director's physical body was lost in the explosion, the person who had stayed beside her and Mashu all this time was just her lingering conscious manifested as Spiritrons._

" _Why do these things always happen to me….? I haven't accomplished anything…"_

 _She couldn't go back to Chaldea. The moment she does, she would truly die._

 _No matter which choice was made, the Director couldn't be saved._

… _screw that!_

 _Helping people has always been her ideal of life, she couldn't just stand there and watch him sending that person to her brutal death._

 _She must move, she had to rescue the Director. She could still be within their reach if they were fast enough._

" _Mashu!"_

" _Yes, senpai!"_

 _Without the need to reveal what was in her mind, the kouhai had already understood her intention. At the same time, they rushed forward, reaching out to grab that trembling hand._

 _Unfortunately, they didn't manage to catch her._

 _Lev saw through that and he speeded up the pace, he had that girl in his palm like a puppet. But the regular high school girl Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't plan to stop there, because now she could feel the flow of magical energy within her body._

 _And she would make full use of that._

 _In a split of second, there were many sparks of light appeared under her feet. Combining with the top quality mana stored in that magical symbol, she activated the spells._

… _.._ _ **[Agility Enhancement]!**_

 _The outlines of magic circuits spread from the crest on her shoulder, hugging Fujimaru's leg._

… _.._ _ **[Reinforcement]**_ _!_

 _Another one._

… _ **[Reinforcement]**_ _!_

 _Her body was fully covered by the pseudo-nervous system._

 _Then, she jumped._

" _Fujimaru-chan! Watch out!" Roman's voice could be heard from the other side of that portal._

 _Lev grinned. A deathly orb shot toward Fujimaru. In midair, she couldn't stop her momentum. But the girl didn't care, there was her kouhai right behind her. The sneak attack was quickly deflected as Mashu shoved her massive shield in its way._

 _From the command center, tension grew heavy, the doctor and the remaining staff watched the young Master and her Demi-Servant trying to rescue their leader through that portal._

"… _!?"_

 _Fujimaru finally reached her, her arms wrapped around that girl's waist and wouldn't let go._

 _But….._

" _A useless attempt." Lev shook his head at the foolish act of the human girl._

 _Nothing had changed, the Director kept ascending further to her demise and worst, Fujimari was dragged along with her._

" _Mashu!" Fujimaru called back to her kouhai._

 _Then, the young Master realized the dilemma she put herself in. They were too high above the ground, the short lilac haired girl could never reach them in time when she was defending herself from Lev's magic._

" _I can't be saved no matter what, isn't it? This is the end for me, isn't it?" Director's face was damp with tears, hopelessness filled her voice._

" _Director…."_

 _Fully aware of the hellish experiences that awaited her the moment she touched that sphere, that girl's spirit began to drown in despair._

" _No one has ever appreciated me… everyone hates me…."_

 _Save her…_

… _what should I do!? Think….think…What should I do!?_

 _If only there was a way to save her…._

" _From the moment I was born, not even once have I been acknowledged by anyone…."_

" _ **WRONG!"**_ _Fujimaru shouted aloud, overwhelming the cry of the tearful girl_ _ **."There's one right here!"**_

" _!?"_

" _Director, you taught me magic! You taught me a lot of things I've never known through your crash courses! The plan, ours course of action ever since we came to Fuyuki, you were the one who planned it all!"_

 _The symbol of destruction, the burning red CHALDEAS, blinded the girls' eyes as they came closer._

" _Me and Mashu, if it wasn't for you, none of us would have made it this far!" Fujimaru yelled as much as she could to pay her gratitude before it was too late for them both._

 _The emotional outburst of the helpless Master satisfied Lev a.k.a Flauros even more as he enjoyed the sight. At that moment, the demon's sadistic side aroused, a demonic aura formed around his arm as he raised it at Fujimaru._

 _No more assault came from Lev, unintentionally, an opening was left for Mashu to make her move._

 _Taking that opportunity, she let go of the shield, crouching down to gain the momentum and launching herself up high. With just one jump, she couldn't reach them._

 _So another one in midair should do the trick._

" _Chaldea Shield." Mashu whispered."Rear position, fixed space deployment, shield catapult."_

 _Immediately, Lord Chaldea vanished from the ground and reappeared behind her back. Mashu placed both her feet on the shield and kicked it, giving her the ability to shoot through the air like a bullet flew out of a gun._

 _Lev flicked his hand._

 _The malicious intent that was a part of his cruelness manifested into another black orb, aiming directly at the auburn haired girl._

" _Senpai! Director!"_

 _The kouhai caught both of them. In her tight embrace, she showed her back to Lev and the shot, shielding them from the incoming attack._

 _Within a second, an explosion roared in between two dimensions._

" _Mash! Fujimaru! Marie!"_

 _Roman witnessed the blast swallowed all three of the girls._

 _Through the window on the command center, he watched black smoke covering the opened portal while covered his mouth in fear of the worst possible scenario._

 _Soon, two figures fell out from that darkest place and hit the ground. Fujimaru and Mash survived the attack with some wounds on their bodies. Dirt covered their clothes and armor._

 _The other person, she was also unharmed thanks to Mash's shield emerged in the nick of time to protect them._

 _However, her fate did not change as she floated out from the smoke and continued heading toward the burning red globe under the control of Flauros._

… _no…..no, this can't be!_

" _Director!"_

 _Fujimaru tried to stand up but she collapsed, her body had yet to adapt to the pressure. Using too much mana while casting multiple spells at the same time had drained all energy from her._

" _Director!" She kept calling."I also saw your memories! I saw how much difficulty you've endured! That's why…..! That's why….I…..!"_

 _The girl, whose life had been screwed up by fate, got closer to the giant cluster. She no longer paid any mind to the gruesome death that awaiting her inside that sphere. For the first time in her life, she had been acknowledged and understood._

"… _ahhh..….at a time like this…why did it have to be at a time like this? I….finally…"_

 _Once those heartfelt words reached her now softened heart, she sobbed like a young girl who lost her youth due to many tragedies._

" _I'm truly grateful!" Fujimaru desperately reached out her hand despite knowing too well it wouldn't grab anything."For everything you have done for me and Mashu! Olga Marie Director, thank you so muchhhhh!"_

 _She had failed to save her._

"… _.Fujimaruuuuuuu….!"_

 _The name of the person she finally have faith on left her trembling mouth. It was Olga's last word before CHALDEA completely sucked her soul into its body._

 _The last expression on her face was filled with regret._

 _At the very least, a small happiness had once lingered somewhere within those eyes._

 _Soon, the sobbing stopped._

 _The girl known as Marie was no more._

…

… _.._

"…..dying over and over….."

Slowly turning pale, Kamijou covered his mouth to stop the rising urge to vomit. That image about the endless death seemed to bring back horrible flashbacks.

"Are you alright?"

The spiky haired boy had another sip of his tea and shook his head at the question.

As they were the same, Fujimaru noticed the many negative emotions swelling in his eyes. She could tell he was clearly horrified by the brutal end of their late Director. And that was not the only thing she saw from him.

His fist was trembling in rage, gripping the cup harder than he might aware. Perhaps if she told him anything more about what Flauros had done in an exaggerated way, that cup might have been shattered into pieces.

Such reaction was intense. Then again, this certainly showed her more of his earnest characteristic.

"The previous Director, who was she?"

A girl who was forced to change herself for the sake of her father's wish.

A girl who was dragged down by all the responsibilities adults pushed onto her.

A girl who just wanted to experience genuine happiness.

" **Olga Marie Animusphere** is her name, please remember that well."

She was one of many whom the auburn haired girl could not save. Her cruel end toughened Fujimaru's desire to save the world.

And at the same time, leaving a crack in her belief.

….

….

 **Part 7**

 _She thought she had had a strange dream._

 _When she woke up to see the familiar sight of her own room back in Japan, she believed everything that happened was just a dream within a dream._

 _Clueless of what to do, she left her bed and went searching for her family in the house. As she went passed a window, the girl took a glance outside._

 _What she saw froze her in place. For a moment, Fujimaru realized how naïve of a girl she was. Nothing about this was a dream._

 _Annihilation._

 _Destruction._

 _Apocalypse had befallen upon the world._

 _Everything had been incinerated._

 _Getting cold feet by the realization that struck her so painful in the soul, she weakly opened the door lead to the living room._

 _Inside, all she could see…..were three piles of ashes._

… _._

… _._

 _She woke up again, this time, from a nightmare._

 _She felt exhausted, her body were numb all over._

" _Senpai." Mashu was there, sitting next to her bed, tending her as she laid rest."I'm s-sorry. I didn't mean to intrude but you looked like you were in pain so I….."_

" _It's okay. It's nothing really." Fujimaru smiled, seeing the kouhai brought some peace to her mind."Thank you, Mashu."_

 _Safe and sound as they were._

 _Thanks to Romani's quick wit, they managed to rayshift back to Chaldea. Fujimaru's consciousness was consumed by extreme exhaustion and she collapsed on the spot, the after-effect of recklessly using three spells altogether took a great toll on her body._

" _How long did I pass out?"_

" _A day long."_

" _I see." She paused for a moment then asked."Say Mashu, aside from us, did anyone manage to get back?"_

 _Mashu casted her gaze at the ground._

 _Fujimaru took that as the answer she needed, she briefly glanced at her shoulder where the magic crest was engraved._

… _..it's gone._

 _She could think of hundred reasons to justify this. Still, considering what already happened, there was only one thought that made sense._

" _The Director, she didn't come back."_

"… _yes…."_

 _The girls remained silent for a while._

" _Let's go." The auburn haired girl sat up."Mashu came here to call me, correct?"_

 _The kouhai nodded._

…

… _.._

 _They reached the control room._

 _Once the door opened, Fujimaru was surprised to see the remaining staff of Chaldea were taking their time to relax around a heater._

" _Yo, Fujimaru-chan." Dr. Roman waved at them while he kept himself warm under a kotatsu."Is this familiar to you? I bought it online a while ago, staying in this warmth sure reminds me of the time back in Japan."_

 _This peaceful sight didn't fit well with the broken wall and debris lying around._

" _Doctor, about why we're here."_

" _Well, it's just to ease the tension we have from the emergency situation. What matters most during crisis is that you have to calm down." He turned back to the others."Isn't that right, everyone?"_

" _Sure, sure."_

" _Yeah, whenever Romani is around. The atmosphere always make people getting lazy."_

 _He got hit by a ton of half-hearted replies._

" _Putting that aside." He looked back to Fujimaru, one hand rubbed the back of his neck."Congratulation for getting back alive, Fujimaru-chan, Mash. You both have completed the_ _ **First Order**_ _and for that everyone in Chaldea is thankful to you."_

 _Everyone then gave them a small applause, Fujimaru and Mashu blushed a little. The doctor's compliment added more fuel to their fluster._

 _In that momentary glory, the girl suddenly recalled of what she saw in the dream and the explosion. The memories drove her to want to know the true state of the world._

" _But still…" She looked down, depressed. The carefree, outgoing attitude had long gone."Too many people were killed."_

 _An uneasy silence filled the air._

" _Yeah." Knowing this new recruited member wanted to learn of what transpired outside, Romani began explaining."What happened to Director is…..a shame. Almost 80% of the population in Chaldea is killed in the bombing caused by Lev. We can't hold a proper funeral for them, the most we can do is grieve. Other than you, a few Master candidates have survived, but currently there's no hope in their recovery. Only time can tell."_

"…"

" _Most of the equipment in Chaldea is considered broken and unusable. We can only fix back some of it." Romani tightened his hand into a fist."Chaldea, the place which was built to ensure the future of humanity, is in a hopeless situation."_

 _It was that bad._

" _That is why we, the remaining Chaldeans, will protect humanity in their stead."_

 _There had been a great catastrophe struck the entire planet._

 _There had been a malicious scheme carried out to twist the core events of history, eradicating the humankind. In the year 20XX, the light of civilization vanished. Human's extinction had been determined by the wish of a single man._

 _Then came the appearance of seven singularities on the map. The clear evidences of the past being rewritten through ill-intent._

 _Rayshift was the only way to erase these black holes from the true course of history. To save the world, this was the only choice available._

 _And she was also the only one suitable for the task._

" _Right now, you are the only one here who have the ability to rayshift."_

"… _.eh?"_

 _The method required special features, 48 Master candidates were the only group of people who can rayshift into the past, present and future without any problem. The remained survivors of the explosion were in no condition to join the operation._

" _Under this circumstance, I know I'm practically forcing you. But even so I have no other choice but to say it like this."_

 _Romani looked straight into the girl's eyes, who had yet to let the responsibility sunk in._

" _You successfully rayshifted to Fuyuki in 2004, reclaimed the Holy Grail and returned history to it true form."_

 _Mashu turned to the girl, filled with worry as she realized how big of a responsibility had been pushed onto her senpai._

" _If you want to save humanity, if you want to bring back the future from 20XX onwards. Then there's no other way than to repeat that success seven more times at these human histories from different eras and countries. From now on, you will fight this battle alone. Master candidate number 48_ _th_ _, Fujimaru Ritsuka."_

 _The most important questions came._

" _Do you have the resolve to do that? Do you have the power to shoulder Chaldea's as well as humanity's future on your own?"_

 _Fujimaru shifted her view downward, looking at her feet._

 _Could she really handle all of it? The incomplete task Olga Marie had left behind to her Chaldea?_

 _The answer…_

 _She needed to tell him the answer…._

" _Outside….."_

" _?"_

" _How is the world outside?"_

 _Hesitation hinted in Romani's eyes, he took in a deep breathe._

" _Communication has been cut off, members who were dispatched to investigate never return. If that is the consequence of history fallen apart or not, the cause is unknown. In any case, everything outside Chaldea is gone."_

 _Bangs covered Fujimaru's face, the girl tugged her skirt lightly, deep in thought._

 _The suspended silence after that was heavy._

" _B-But Chaldea is still safe!" The doctor reassured the girl, he was afraid that she was trapped inside a fierce mental conflict."Thanks to the magnetic field layers and logic defensive system covered in many floors, Lev can't seem to bring this place down!"_

" _I has always been reckless…"_

" _?"_

" _When it comes to helping someone, I never have a second thought about the consequence and just end up doing it….….because I never consider how reckless I can be in those kind of situations, I used to hurt myself a lot….my family always tell me to be careful…because every time I got hurt, I always cause them to worry."_

 _A shiny drop of water gently caressed her cheek._

" _After coming here, I was planning to make a phone call…"_

"… _."_

" _I was planning to make a phone call to my parents…..because I know mother, father, little brother and my friends will be very worried about my well-being. If I could at least tell them about this place, about the people I've met here. If only I could…I thought about it…..like that….."_

 _The remaining survivors of the already dead world saddened at the fact._

" _But then…everything…everyone has been burned to ash."_

 _Among the staff, low whimpers could be heard. They all shared the same feeling as Fujimaru._

" _There won't be any resolve from me. Dr. Roman, I don't think I can accept the story just now so easily. But even so, I hate it. I really hate the way things end like this."_

 _The young girl wiped off the trail of tears and held her head high._

"… _ **..that's why, I'll take it on….."**_

 _Determination burned strong and brightly on her expression._

"… _ **.If it's something only I can do….."**_

 _Fujimaru finally made her decision._

" _Senpai….." The kouhai smiled._

" _Fujimaru-chan….."_

 _Romani held his breath for a second, he bowed his head down, wholeheartedly showing his utmost respect and gratitude to the young girl who was about to carry the weight of the whole world on her shoulder._

" _Thank you, our fate have been determined by those words."_

 _Regardless of what awaited them, they vowed to take back the future and save humanity._

 _Thus, Chaldea's last and original mission,_ _ **Grand Order**_ _, the greatest quest named after the highest law of magi in view of its importance, officially began._

 _The regular high school girl Fujimaru Ritsuka who just became the last Master of humanity, together with the Demi-Servant Mash Kyrielight, headed straight into a new battlefield._

* * *

"There was such a burden placed on you…."

After listening to the prologue of her story, those were the first words Kamijou told her. It made the surprised Fujimaru to slightly widen her eyes at the spiky haired boy.

Normally, the expected respond should have been "There whole world was burned?" from most of the new faces in Chaldea.

…..but he didn't say it.

He chose to pay attention to how she was troubled by the massive burden placed on her shoulder.

If there was a story centered around a certain protagonist trying their best to save the world, people would often have their mind stick onto the details of how this protagonist accomplishes their goal as the story progress. Instead of caring about that, he fixed on worrying how the protagonist would feel when they handle the task that puts an immense pressure on their head.

Perhaps because they were the same, he would concern more toward what made those conflicting emotions existed within her rather than the story itself.

Nevertheless, he believed in her story without a hint of doubt. This boy was certainly different from the new recruits she has met.

"I got many help from the Servants so the burden at least lessened to some degree."

The process of finding and gathering the required relics, materials to summon them gave her a new level of stress, though.

…I'll leave that out, he doesn't need to know.

…..

…..

The events of all seven singularities, and Chaldea's struggles in eliminating them.

As she revealed everything to him, the night was longer than usual.

The Wicked Dragon Hundred Years' War in Orleans.

The Eternal Madness Empire in the Roman Empire.

The Death World in the Demonic Fog filled City of London, England.

The Grand Battle of Legend in North America.

The Sacred Round Table Realm Camelot located in the Holy Land.

The Absolute Frontline in the War against the Demonic Beasts in Babylonia.

"Since all the core events in history were twisted, the world ceased to exist. Once we managed to fix them back, the true course of the current timeline is restored. But there was still the master mind behind this 3000 years old scheme. Until his defeat, mankind would still be in danger."

Thus, came the ultimate battle decided the fate of humanity.

"….." Fujimaru paused, casting her gaze down to the reflection in the cup.

But then…..

But then…..

But then…..

"Something unexpected happened…"

…..

…

* * *

 **[Between the Line 4]**

… _Mashu….only has a few days left…._

 _The truth about Mashu's lifespan came as a great shock to her. It was another story that she couldn't accept._

 _However, it wouldn't be the last._

…

 _As if the entire world collapsed, the trembling never stopped._

 _Eyes widened in shock, she kept staring at the flickering black icon on the hologram interface. It took a full minute for her to process that sight into her frozen train of thought._

 _A mobile singularity had appeared, it showed on the map scanned by SHEBA._

 _In panic, she immediately rayshifted through time and space to reach the place without saying anything to the Servants. Upon arriving, she was speechless._

 _It was her hometown._

 _Like the rest of the world, the small town located at elsewhere beyond the green mountains of Japan was covered in flame and smoke. Everything was burning. Fujimaru's anxiety rose higher than ever, as intense as the heat that dominated the small, innocent town._

 _Several enemies appeared, Mashu came along so they were quickly sent back to dust. Seeing the path was cleared, Fujimaru ran across town, finding the source that caused all of this._

 _The auburn haired rushed ahead, not even waiting for her kouhai to catch up._

 _She found the culprit._

 _The_ _ **Demon God Pillars**_ _were devious existences. As if pulling a cruel joke, one of the 72 demons rose up from the flame and vanished immediately after Fujimaru discovered its whereabouts._

… _.ah…_

 _The girl was shocked as she recognized this area._

 _The house where she used to live was here, engulfed and burning in a big fire. What was left of the place was just piles of debris and ruin._

 _In that moment of desperation, Fujimaru just stared and stared. Her mind started to lose the ability to comprehend this horrible reality. Mashu's calling, she no longer heard it._

"… _.no…no….."_

 _The girl muttered weakly as she walked into the flame, hands stretching toward the place that was once her home._

" _Master, it's dangerous! Don't go in there!" Mashu tried to hold the girl back._

 _Fujimaru kept struggling, breaking out of her kouhai's grasp. The inferno flame spread as it rose higher, Mashu raised the shield to protect them both from being swallowed by it._

 _No longer in her grasp, Fujimaru, with a mind filled by anguish, left the safe zone and charged into the burning flame._

" _Senpai!"_

" _...my mother….father…._ _ **Gudao**_ _…..they're still in there…"_

 _Bare-handed, she tried to dig up the debris, the heat was burning her skin. But she didn't care about that. Fujimaru continued to dig the whole place up, she was desperate to find a single ray of hope that might still remain somewhere._

" _The disturbance is growing stronger, at this rate we'll be trapped. Senpai, we should leave!"_

 _Mashu grabbed the hand and pulled her out from the heat but she quickly broke out and went back there._

" _Fujimaru-chan, can you hear me!?" Roman's voice rang from the watch on her wrist." The anomaly of this singularity has already surpassed the distortion of F. The cause of this phenomenon is gone and has yet to be destroyed so now this region can only exist outside the regular temporal axis! You'll be trapped forever if you stay there!"_

"… _no…..please be there….please be alive….."_

" _Honestly, I don't really get what's going on but you heard the doctor and Lady Mash."_

 _Suddenly, Fujimaru rose up in midair once the familiar voice echoed from somewhere. The anxious girl finally snapped out from her nearly broken state as she realized a strong arm wrapped her around the waist._

" _I'm sorry Master, we need to leave."_ _ **Robin Hood**_ _took off his cloak to reveal himself._

" _Robin, put me down! I have to get back there!"_

 _Together with Shielder, the chivalrous thief who could perfectly blend into the surrounding then carried her out of there. The singularity collapsed and began drifting out of the main timeline._

 _In hopeless, Fujimaru watched the town disappeared from her vision._

… _._

… _._

… _._

… _._

… _._

" _The number you called is not available."_

…

…

…

 _ **Click!**_

" _The number you called is not available."_

…

…

…

 _ **Click!**_

" _The number you called is not available."_

"…"

 _Lights were turned off._

 _Alone in her bed, Fujimaru looked at the phone, she kept dialing the numbers._

 _It was always the same respond._

 _The girl knew what she was doing made no sense but her chest won't stop aching. Something already broken inside broke all over again._

 _She remembered the words told by Caster Gilgamesh._

 _Those who died within the singularities would bear the same fate in the normal timeline. However, everything would be adjusted accordingly so that they will die a natural death._

 _A mobile singularity appeared at a certain town and the enemies took it all away, shifting that land out of the time axis._

 _Fujimaru understood what that would mean. Not only the people she loved dearly had died, her hometown had also been wiped off from the face of the Earth._

 _Finding it was impossible._

 _The realm beyond the World was like a vast sea, it might even rival the endless universe. Even if the Human Order was restored, the town would never be there in the same place again._

 _Her family._

 _Her friends._

 _Her hometown._

 _Everything that was part of her normal life as a high school girl named Fujimaru Ritsuka altogether vanished._

 _Saddened, the young Master of Chaldea was left with nothing._

 _Her normal days, now, existed as just memories._

* * *

"I'm sor-."

"Don't apologize."

Kamijou was blaming himself for making her relive the sad experiences. Because they were the same, Fujimaru quickly stopped him as she knew he would do that.

After all, the expression in his eyes spoke volume of how he felt toward her sorrow.

"I was so conceited back then. Trying to save everyone, such wishful thinking is nothing but an illusion. My mind was clouded by the former peaceful life I used to live when I was still a normal high school girl."

Fujimaru giggled a bit, the bitter tone of her giggling indicated she wasn't actually smiling.

"I thought I understood everything around me and I believed I can do anything if I try my best. But then again, it was just me being an arrogant young girl."

At the end, she was still uncertain of many things about that certain aspect of the world.

At the end, she was still confused about all the knowledge she learnt during her time in Chaldea.

At the end, she was holding in a lot of wavering emotions that could easily make her stray from accomplishing the main goal of Chaldea Security Organization.

As the one who shouldered the entire world, she could not show this weak side to anyone.

How ironic that was.

The side she hid away from everyone in Chaldea now laid bare in front of a certain ordinary spiky haired boy, who shared the same common traits with her.

"Now, the finale of my story."

The decisive battle in the Grand Time Temple of Solomon.

…

….

* * *

 **[Between the Line 5]**

 _Harder than diamond, tougher than steel, not a single scratch visible on the round shield._

 _Lord Camelot did well to withstand one of Goetia's Noble Phantasm and protected the Master of its owner._

 _Mashu's protection was that of a spiritual nature._

 _With no impurities in her heart and the absolute absence of doubt, the shield became an invincible castle wall that will neither crack nor melt._

 _Still, her body wasn't able to withstand the heat of the light and evaporated. Fujimaru looked at the giant shield remained standing unharmed in front of her._

 _Both hands gripped tightly the air, she couldn't control her emotion as anger boiled._

" _Goetiaaaaaa!"_

" _Oh, I will permit you to give me one last punch. I can understand your feelings."_

" _Fine! If you're asking for it!"_

 _She ran toward him, raising her small fist to punch the Demon God King._

" _Yes, with that weakling human fist, touch my body and die."_

 _The weak human girl roared, finally losing herself._

" _ **No, no! Let's just calm down here for a second, Ritsuka-chan!"**_

 _Before she could land the punch on him, someone managed to pull her back._

 _There was no footsteps coming near._

 _There was no other presence aside the protagonist and her greatest nemesis before now._

 _There was no mere human who could make this far into the throne alone._

" _Doctor Roman?"_

 _Yet, that person arrived. He reached their battle ground with ease._

"… _.you…..that saint graph you're holding!?" Goetia appeared shock at his appearance._

" _Oh, this? Yeah, I've abandoned my wish to the Holy Grail. From now on, I will be acting as my original self." The doctor glanced at Fujimaru, who was still bewildered by this turn of event."Let me remove my gloves first, this will make things easier to understand."_

… _._

… _._

 _Originally, there were ten rings in King Solomon's possession, given by the God._

 _At the end of the First Holy Grail War in this world, the King of Magic wished upon the golden grail._

" _I want to become human." These words passed his lip._

 _His wish was fulfilled._

 _His power was gone._

 _And the rings were thought to have been lost._

 _Nine of them fell into the hand of the Demon God King, Goetia._

 _The last ring, however, was kept by the man who decided to put his legend and legacy behind. He hoped to enjoy the new life of a human._

 _But a problem began._

 _Solomon was a user of Clairvoyance which was said to be omnipotent and omniscient. Thanks to this special skill, he could see far off into the future._

 _At the exact moment he lost all his powers, he saw it._

 _He saw the end of humanity._

 _As his nature was that of a chicken, he panicked and wondered what was happening._

 _Who did it?_

 _Why did they do it?_

 _And how could he stop it?_

 _Because he knew the destructive future of mankind was connected to him somehow. The former King couldn't turn a blind eyes, he wanted to do something to prevent that._

 _But at the time, he was already an ordinary human. He lost the means to find out the answers to those questions. The only thing he could do was to endure and wait for the right moment to act._

 _Starting from scratch, he learned how to become a human being._

" _Certainly, I was helped by many coincidences. The most important of those was you, Ritsuka-chan."_

 _Romani Archaman revealed the tenth ring on his hand, his body began to glow. In a flash, the true King of Magic regained his original form._

"… _doctor Roman…."_

" _I'll be going for a bit."_

"…"

" _What's with that expression? Everything will soon be over." Roman, now Solomon, gave the hard-worked Master a thin smile and stepped forward to face the beast born out of his body."After this, I'll get back to you. But before passing the baton, there's still something I need to get off my chest."_

 _So he told her to wait for him._

 _And then…._

" _ **The Time of Birth has Come, He is the One who Masters All."**_

 _And then…._

" _ **The Time of Crowing has Come, He is the One who Begins All."**_

 _And then…._

" _ **The Time of Parting has Come, He is the One who Lets Go of the World."**_

 _ **Ars Nova**_ _, the first true Noble Phantasm of King Solomon was activated._

… _._

… _._

 _Before the Age of Humanity, there was once the Age of Gods. And the glorious time was ended by the hand of King Solomon as he returned his omnipotent ring back to heaven._

 _Ars Nova was the reenactment of that tale._

 _The King of Magic once again abandoned his role and gave away everything he owned to open the path for mankind. The agents of God would cease to exist while human entered a new age._

 _It was the true meaning of his disappearance. He chose the complete annihilation of his own existence._

 _Goetia screamed in disbelief as his immortality was taken away._

 _With the effect still lingered, the ground beneath him crumbled and the Demon God King disappeared from their sights._

 _Solomon, now lost all his powers, turned to Fujimaru. His appearance changed back to the laid-back doctor she knew._

" _The life of a human is nothing but a story of fear and despair, he said."_

 _His body glowed once again. This time, much more transparent._

" _But that's where he is wrong." He took a step toward the auburn haired girl as he continued."It's true that all things are not eternal and suffering in the end. However, there is certainly more than just despair."_

 _He looked at her in the eyes._

" _There are those that confront death and extinction with just their limited lives in hand. There are those that repeat their encounters and pairings, knowing of the end."_

 _The hand that slowly dissolved into particles of light reach to her shoulder._

" _It is brilliant, isn't it, Ritsuka-chan? The life of a human is like a story full of love and hope."_

 _The journey of a single instant, he described it like a blinking of a star._

"… _why…..?" Knowing he had sacrificed everything related to his deeds, legacies and the life he had, it was the only world she could weakly mutter._

" _Back then, when I was swallowed by despair, it was your smile that saved me. Which is why this ending to my story is fine, because this is something I learned from you and Mash. I know it's a sad end, but if this is something only I can do, I'll take it on."_

 _Those were the same words she spoke to him a year ago, when she decided to bear the weight of the whole world on her shoulder._

"… _.saying such thing…..it's unfair….."_

"… _unfair….." He repeated the word, saddened."Yeah, it might be unfair. But with this, all premises have been collapsed. Goetia's immortality is now a thing of the past."_

" _But your life! Your life will be…."_

 _The next word refused to leave her mouth._

 _Furious and afraid of losing another important person of her life, she grabbed his lab coat, holding it tightly._

" _Mashu's gone! If you…if you're going to disappear, too….I…I…..! I don't want this! I don't want this ending! I hate it!"_

"…"

" _I know…..I know everyone is depending on me….I will definitely save the world! But…if that comes at the cost of sacrificing your life….then I…I can't do it! I don't want to lose anyone else! Not anymore! So please…."_

 _The desperate girl buried her head into his chest. Still keeping a calm demeanor, Romani just smiled, rubbing the back of his neck with the free hand._

" _Listen, Ritsuka-chan." Soon, that free hand caressed her hair then touched her chin, gently lifting her teary face up."I have always been a useless coward. I'm ashamed of that. Even at the end, I wasn't aware of this. Yes, things aren't supposed to be like this. So please forgive this cowardly man, who can't muster up courage until his last moment."_

 _At that point, before that body and that life disappeared, Romani decided to cast aside his chicken nature._

 _The life of a human is a story full of love and hope._

 _Because of her smile, he always finds joy._

 _Because of her strong-will for willing to take on the impossible task, he had gained hope._

 _Because of her being there, he came to fully understand the emotion of love._

" _This is my feeling for you."_

 _He finally expressed. By placing his hand over her bangs and closing in, he gave her a kiss on the forehead._

 _For a short period, time came to a stop as he embraced her._

" _It's embarrassing." He pulled back, face turned red."But I can only suppress my cowardice this much. I'm sorry if this makes it more difficult for ours parting."_

"… _..doctor Roman….."_

 _An Earth shattering sound echoed from afar. Goetia jumped through falling debris and landed on the ground, filled with rage._

 _The battle had yet to be over._

" _Now go." He wiped away the trail of tears on her cheeks."It's finally the time. I can see it…no, we all can see what will come at the end of this journey. I will give you my last instruction as the commander of Chaldea."_

 _Romani stepped away but Fujimaru still held onto him, hesitated to let go._

" _Don't worry about me. You are a very strong-will person, Ritsuka-chan. You've defeated the King of Magic Solomon as a human being. So now you must subjugate here the beast who claims the title of the King of Magic."_

 _He gently pushed those hands away._

" _This is the end of the journey that you and Mash have arrived at. Don't stop here, move forward, and completely achieve a perfect victory."_

 _The girl looked at him for a moment, she wiped away the water lingered in the eyes and the decision was finally made._

" _Doctor, you have my greatest respect!"_

 _Romani gave the girl one last smile and waved her goodbye as he faded away. She turned around, the Command Seal at the back of her hand shined greatly, ready for the showdown._

 _Her head held high._

 _Fujimaru Ritsuka reached for the shield that stood strong for her sake and everyone._

 _Her Heart filled with resolve._

 _The last Master of Chaldea went off to save the future of humanity._

* * *

Thus, came the completion of Grand Order.

"By a miracle, Mashu was somehow resurrected. Everything went back to normal and the Human Incineration Incident never happens, despite the aftermath of that is quite a mess. To the people outside, it's like they slept for a very long time and just woke up. Since they have no memory of the past year, no one notices why there is this blankness in time. They just accepts it."

"Then…..the doctor and your….." Kamijou halted, he has some unanswered questions that he wanted to know out of concern. But that concern also kept him from finishing it.

"Doctor Roman, he was written out of human's history and my hometown is no longer existed. They're all gone."

"….I….don't know what to say…."

"It's alright, what's done is done. You can't take back what have already been lost. But still….." She placed a hand on the forehead."What he did put me at ease, the thought of giving up everything nearly crossed my mind in that moment."

The warm feeling of that kiss up there was still up there, never left.

Whenever she traveled down the halls of Chaldea alone, she can always hear the sound of the blizzard moving outside the window.

When the door led to her room opened, she can see and hear the sight of long ago. The memories from that fateful meeting always relives itself inside her room.

It was quite a lonely feeling.

And Fujimaru desperately tried to bear what was swelling within her.

"I'm sure that was my gratitude toward him."

Maybe someday, these feelings, these memories, along with these thoughts about him, will turn into something beautiful.

…..

…..

That was how it ended.

The grand finale of the story about a girl who reluctantly became the last Master of humanity to save the world.

"Actually, there's more."

"What?"

The Shinjuku Phantom Spirit Incident in Japan.

The .PH Incident belonged to another timeline in the future.

The Mythical Subterranean Society in Agartha.

The encounter with a female warrior in Shimosa Province.

The Taboo Epiphany Garden event in Salem, Massachusetts.

"Waitttttttt! Too much information! Kamijou-san can't possibly process all of that into his brain!"

They decided to skip all of that.

"Now the world is safe and at peace. But that peace was only temporary."

So it all came down to this, the true finale of her story.

"It was the story of how I came to realize I have failed miserably in saving the world."

...

….

* * *

 **[Between the Line 6]**

 **Part 1**

 _Startled, she woke up in her bed._

 _Again._

 _It was the same as all the nights before, that precognitive dream repeated in her sleep. Every night, whenever she closed her eyes to sleep, it was always the same dream she saw._

 _Galahad was there, reminding her about the controversy that Fujimaru herself and Solomon had caused in the future._

 _Because that fate of the world was unavoidable, he told her to accept it. But there was no way she couldn't bring herself to._

 _Fujimaru thought about everything she did, only to know that those efforts to save everyone had driven the whole world to a dead end._

 _Something already broken within her once again shattered._

"… _I can't do it….I don't want to fight them."_

 _She felt like crying._

 _She did not want to see that dream again._

 _She was afraid to face it, the consequence of her actions in saving the world._

… _._

… _..._

" _Senpai, are you feeling alright?"_

 _The pile of documents nearly fell from her grip when the kouhai suddenly asked._

" _Heh? What are you talking about, Mashu?"_

" _You don't look like you're feeling well. So I was wondering…"_

" _Aww~, my Mashu is such a worrywart." She rubbed her head."There's no need to be concerned about me. I'm doing fine."_

" _But-"_

" _Gotta submit these papers quickly. I'm going ahead!"_

 _Increasing her pace, Mashu was quickly left behind._

… _I'm sorry, Mashu._

…

…

" _Mommy, why are you sad?"_

"… _eh?"_

 _Fujimaru paused her reading, the new fairy tale that Hans just finished writing for her was halt halfway._

" _What made you sad? Tell us." Little_ _ **Jack the Ripper**_ _pushed the topic as she clung to the girl's arm._

" _W-Why are you asking me this so suddenly?"_

" _Because Master-chan doesn't focus on the story."_ _ **Nursery Rhyme**_ _said."There's no emotion in the way you're reading it, not at all."_

"… _.really?"_

" _Mommy, please tell us why you are feeling sad."_

" _Is it because we're making you read stories for us?"_

 _Young Alice turned her head back to look at Fujimaru while she sat in her lap. Those big, innocent eyes began to glitter._

" _Eh!? No, it's not like that! I'm not sad."_

" _But your eyes." Jack pointed at her own."They look so sad."_

 _The young Master could only keep silent._

… _._

… _._

" _Master, a moment of your time."_

 _Nightingale approached her in the hallway. Without giving a heads-up, she grabbed her head._

" _Hya! W-W-What is it!?"_

" _Skin condition, paled, doesn't look good, muscles are dropping, heavy bag under both eyes, lack of sleep. Master, your body are showing signs of exhaustion. You need to rest."_

" _It's al-"_

 _In an instant, she saw herself lying on the bed._

"… _.right."_

 _She was pulled to her room. The girl didn't even get the chance to say anything._

… _.exhaustion…I haven't got a good sleep recently._

 _Fujimaru wasn't sure if that was the exact reason, her eyelids were slowly getting heavy._

… _.please, let this be a normal dream._

 _As her body relaxed, she closed her eyes._

 _But it was the same as every night, various flashbacks from the dream flooded her mind. The girl immediately sat up, tired than before._

 _However, she flinched._

 _Very close, a familiar presence was observing her._

" _*Staring* *Staring*"_

 _That presence was right next to her._

" _ **Serenity-chan**_ _, how long have you been here?"_

"… _since the beginning…." The venom girl softly replied."My Master, is something bothering you? Your expression doesn't seem to look well."_

 _Slowly, Serenity touched her cheek and gently caressing the paled skin that would never wither by her deathly poison._

" _Ahhh!" Fujimaru jumped out of her bed, startling the_ _ **Assassin**_ _."Don't you feel worry, Serenity-chan! I'm feeling really healthy right now! A few minutes of resting is enough to have me go on for few more hours, I'm an experienced Master after all!"_

 _She dodged the question, telling Serenity that she will continue the paper work before taking her leave._

 _After that, rumors began to circle around Chaldea._

… _._

… _._

 _A pair of glaring eyes directed at Fujimaru, so fierce it froze her._ _ **Mordred**_ _slammed her hand against the wall, cornering the auburn haired girl._

 _As one stood in the receiving end of the kabe-don position, Fujimaru was just a short step away from her._

" _Oi, Master! What is the meaning of this!?" Mordred's furious tone showed that she wasn't kidding around._

" _M-Meaning….what?"_

" _Your eyes! It's your eyes! Why are they looking so depressing!?"_

"… _..I…I'm not depressed." She shot her gaze to the side._

" _Right, focus on my face and say that again."_

"… _.I'm just tired from all the work, that's all."_

 _Fujimaru turned the other way, the red knight immediately placed her other free hand on the wall, locking all path to stop the young Master from running away._

" _Are you sure?"_

"… _..I'm sure."_

"… _hm….look, Master, I maybe a third-rated knight, I'm still your Servant. Don't just endure and keep things between us. If there is something worrying you, tell me so I can help you deal with it. If you're not, then don't make that kind of face every day."_

 _Mordred let out a sigh._

" _Master, at least take care of yourself better, alright. It's pretty damn annoying whenever you have that miserable look on your face."_

 _The red knight patted on Fujimaru's shoulder then walked off, leaving the girl alone to her own thoughts._

… _._

… _._

" _ **Lobo**_ _, where are we going?"_

 _Fujimaru looked behind her shoulder as the great grey wolf nudged his nose at her back, pushing her forward. The girl had no idea what this action meant, but in order to understand his intention, she had no other option aside from following him._

 _In a deserted corner of Chaldea,_ _ **Hessian**_ _the headless mercenary waved his hand at her from far away. He was in the same direction Lobo was leading the girl to._

 _They went into a dark room. A single chair was put in the center of it, beneath the column of light who knew where it came from._

 _Fujimaru sat down on it as Hessian gestured her to do so._

… _I have a bad feeling about this._

 _Her intuition perfectly nailed the circumstance in the next five seconds._

" _Uwah!"_

 _Before she knew it, she had already been tied into the chair. Then, shadows surrounded her. As the light turned on, they all_ _revealed themselves._

" _Do not fear Master, this is just one of many ways to prevent you from dodging the question."_ _ **Gorgon**_ _spoke up, her snake hairs drew toward Fujimaru, rubbing her cheek with their tiny heads."I should stop them. But knowing they're fond of you, maybe I'll leave them be this time."_

… _I can't relax!_

" _Sorry, Master, since I'm the weakest_ _ **Avenger**_ _. I have no other choice but to cooperate with the rest." Hands behind his head,_ _ **Angra Mainyu**_ _explained while a grin flashed on his face._

… _.then why are you acting so nonchalant!?_

" _Hm? Your body is tensed, you should relax. Here, Master, I made some tea."_ _ **Edmond Dantes**_ _, the Count of Monte Cristo, handed her a cup of hot tea."Drink it and we shall begin the interrogation."_

… _..I can't reach it with these snakes binding me!...wait…what interrogation?_

" _Recently, there's a rumor going around Chaldea."_ _ **Jeanne Alter**_ _, in her Shinjuku costume, stood in front of the confused young girl. She slipped a finger under Fujimaru's chin and lifted her head up, matching the girl's gaze with her sharp one."The Master of a hundred Servants looks like she's enduring something…..no…..she is trying to hide something from everyone here. Since Master has the tendency to keep her own problem to herself, someone will need to make her spill the bean. Now, tell us, Master. What is it that makes you this desperate?"_

" _I don't know what you are talking about." Fujimaru glanced to the side, cold sweat dripped down her forehead._

" _Playing ignorant, aren't we? Fine then, if it should come to this." Jeanne Alter smirked, snapping her fingers._

" _One box of Saint Squartzs coming right up!" Angra Mainyu brought out a heavy box filled with mystical rainbow colored crystals._

" _H-Hey! That's my two days effort! What are you going to do to that box!?"_

" _We know your weakness really well."_

" _If you won't tell us, consider those Saint Squartzs end up in that wolf's stomach."_

 _Lobo opened his mouth while Angra hanged the box between those vicious pointy teeth._

" _Ahhhh! That's cheating!"_

" _Fufufu, having second thought?"_

"… _Jeanne, you meanie….bullying….why are you all doing this to me….?" Fujimaru pouted, her eyes became somewhat watery._

"… _."_

… _.oh, she's shaking._

" _Oi, Oi, Master, what will it take for you to share your story with us, huh? We're doing everything we can to help you here."_

" _Yet you decide to deny everyone's help, foolish girl."_

" _Is it that much of a difficult request to accept? We all know something is wrong the moment you began to act all discreet. The lady doctor has been telling everyone to pay attention to you. You've been constantly avoiding the subject whenever we try to get the answers out of you."_

 _Dantes glanced at Gorgon, as if giving her a signal._

 _The snakes wrapped around Fujimaru began to loosen the binding and returned back to Gorgon. Dantes handed the warm cup of tea to the girl._

" _Drink it, make yourself relax and tell us everything, everything that causes you to be like this. We're all here to listen."_

 _Fujimaru took the cup, but rather than drinking it, she shifted her gaze to Jeanne Alter. Right now, the one who needed to be concerned was probably her. The girl, who was the embodiment of hatred of the original Saint, was standing on the side, speechless the whole time after being told mean._

" _Jeanne, are you feeling sad?" The young Master asked._

" _I'm not! As if I would feel sad by your words!" Face hidden, her tone wavered as if she was hurt._

" _I'm sorry." Fujimaru giggled._

" _Hey, is that a laugh I'm hearing!? Are you mocking me!? Do you want me to burn you to ash!?"_

 _The Avenger were those who consumed by one of the darkest desire of humanity. In other words, they were Servants who were driven by vengeance. You would think that such group of people are not the kind of person you would willing to talk to and you try to stay away from them as far as possible._

 _Fujimaru was a different case, she accepted them, just as they accepted her as their Master._

 _The fact that they all gathered here showed how much they cared about her well-being, even though the method they used could be a little extreme._

" _Thank you, everyone."_

 _That joyous feeling filled her heart for a short moment._

" _Then, are you willing to tell us now?"_

"… _..no way….."_

 _It was an instant reply._

… _.._

… _.._

"Then I escaped, with some help."

Kamijou gave her a deadpanned reaction.

"…I…I wasn't ready to reveal to anybody what I saw in the dream, alright!? You're the first person I ever talk to about this."

"I've seen and heard of lots of both incredible and unreasonable stories, this isn't new. Yeah, I got your point, that dream is something you can hardly share with people…actually, I run away from Index and Misaka several times whenever they find me end up in the hospital."

"Why do I have the feeling your case is different than mine?"

"I'm pretty sure there are some similarities, we all have one or two stories that can't be told to others."

The subject continued as Kamijou asked her how did she manage to get away, he was curious. Fujimaru gave him the answer he wanted.

…..

…..

 **Part 2**

 _The petrified look of many victims in a horror movie took over Fujimaru's expression as Saint Squartzs being wasted in front of her._

" _Here comes the third one!"_

" _Stop! Don't do it! Time up, time up! That's right, I'm thirsty! Count, would you kindly pour me another cup!? Just let me drink this one and I'll tell you all!"_

 _Dantes dropped a saint squartz into the cup, he stirred it up like mixing sugar. Jeanne Alter took it from his grasp after he finished, the vengeance man did not feel amused._

" _Master, say ahhhh~."_

 _Fujimaru paled, this was probably payback._

 _The cup with rainbow aura drew closer to her mouth. Before her lip damped with tea, lights on the ceiling turned off. The door threw opened, everyone turned their gaze to see the one who interrupted their interrogation._

 _It wasn't just one. Multiple presences made its appearance, a giant shadow rose above all at the entrance._

"… _.just…..pas….sing…throug..h…."_

 _ **Asterios**_ _ducked through the tiny gap with the twin goddesses on his shoulder._

" _My, my~…I wonder what is this behavior? Gorgon and the Avengers, what are you intending to do to ours Master?"_

" _We don't know the full story. However, imprisoning Master in a dark room despite knowing she is just a human girl, you all have become such naughty individuals."_

 _Gorgon turned pale as_ _ **Stheno**_ _and_ _ **Euryale**_ _eyed her altogether, the snakes binding Fujimaru again finally loosened and let her off for good._

 _While everyone were drowned in the suspense air, something light patted on the girl's head. A whisper came, telling her to escape when an opportunity presented._

 _For which Fujimaru patiently waited, she first aimed her direction at Asterios who was blocking the entrance with his towering body. The instance Angra Mainyu got knocked over by a little figure jumped at his face, the human girl made a quick dash._

 _She glided through the gap between his legs and kept on running without looking back._

 _Not long after Fujimaru's escape, the group of Avenger got an hour-long lecture from Mashu, excepted for Gorgon._

 _There was this story from a staff member, saying he heard the snakes moaning when he walked past the place. Though, the truth of what actually happened in the dark corner of that room remained unknown till this day._

….

….

"Either way, I was saved thanks to **Mini Cú-chan.** "

"…mini…."

"He's a plushie."

Kamijou should have gotten used to all the weirdest details in this story.

"But it was not the end, the rumor spread further. Some Servants decided to confront me face-to-face. I know they were doing that out of worrying for my well-being, still, I can't bring myself to tell them about the future that I ruined."

She tried to dodge the questions many times. Yet, they just kept coming without an end.

The girl decided to try a new tactic.

…

…

 **Part 3**

 _Being a normal human was helpful._

 _The human's presence doesn't come together with the flow of magical energy. Their existence can be easily influenced by the outside force, at the same time, they can never be detected that easily._

 _In that regard, Fujimaru was both a normal human and an amateur magus. Her flow of mana can't be detected unless the use of magic is required. Using that fact to her advantage, the girl safely made her way around the base._

 _The Knights of the Round Table were on the search for her. They were planning to force an answer out of Fujimaru for sure. And probably, the usually aggressive Mordred wouldn't let this slide like last time._

 _She needed to find a safe place to stay until the storm past. One location happened to pop up in her mind. That certain location would be a fitting choice, an oasis blended into the background so perfect one could not imagine._

… _..it's about time._

 _Fujimaru began to move, scanning around._

" _Master! Where are you!?"_

… _.that's_ _ **Okita-chan**_ _'s voice, I shouldn't go this way._

 _All of sudden, she felt a tug from behind._

" _Uuuuuuuu…" A girl in pure white bride dress groaned._

" _ **F-F-Frankenstein-chan**_ _!?"_

 _It was the artificial monster girl, she found her. The Master tried to run but the Servant grabbed her hand, not letting go._

" _Uuuuu…ahhh…!"_

 _The repeated, unintelligent word spoke everything about a friend tells another friend to share their worry. That much was enough to make Fujimaru's intention waver._

 _No…_

 _She couldn't give up here._

 _She couldn't let this faze her will._

 _She had to keep this pain a secret._

 _She didn't want to them know about the future that she saved and destroyed._

" _Uuu-"_

" _I'm sorry!" She hugged Frankenstein. The unexpected act caught the Servant off guard."I can't tell you anything. I have to go!"_

 _Fujimaru took the chance to flee._

" _ **[Agility Enhancement!]**_ _"_

 _Carefully making her step while she traveled between sections, Fujimaru finally reached the oasis that would help her got over this storm._

 _When the automatic door opened, she burst in without warning. The sudden intrusion baffled those inside the room._

" _Heh?"_

" _Huh?"_

" _Okkie, let me hide under your kotatsu!"_

 _That weak one-liner made_ _ **Osakabehime**_ _and_ _ **Blackbeard**_ _the assistant stared at her in confusion._

…

…

"You have no idea that would be the place, haven't you?"

"Of course I don't. If kotatsu was that good of a place to hide, I wouldn't have to find myself back against the wall and watch the terror comes in, giving me bite marks all over the head."

He actually tried it once. The consequence, well, you knew how it would turn out.

"For me, it worked wonder. It was the perfect spot to hide from everyone. It's really warm and cozy."

However, it only worked for a certain period.

…..

…..

 **Part 4**

"…"

 _Fujimaru could feel these strange stares coming from all directions._

 _For whatever reason, she was being observed. Fujimaru glanced around the room, just one slow shift in the view gave her immediate results._

… _.everyone is looking at me!?_

 _They all quickly turned away and went back to continue what they were doing. From time to time, those brief gazes landed at her and averted in a matter of second._

 _She knew why they did it in discreet._

 _That sense of worry filling their eyes whenever it reflected her image inside, she understood it._

 _So she changed her mind, eating at the cafeteria at this moment might not be a good choice. Something would bound to happen if she stayed here. She didn't want to bother anyone with her own problem._

 _The auburn haired girl gathered her dinner into a tray. She did it too late, someone had already took action._

 _A beautiful young woman sat down in front of her._

" _*Smiling* *Smiling*"_

 _Sitting across the table, the alluring smile from_ _ **Mata Hari**_ _made her feel uneasy._

" _Master, how is today's dinner?"_

"… _it's…it's…..g-good. EMIYA-kun's cooking is extraordinary, like usual."_

" _Hm~, is that so?" The young woman smiled again._

 _Fujimaru was not sure how to react, that expression hinted so many hidden motives. It hit her with a feeling that everything might slip passed her mouth if this conversation went on._

 _The girl grabbed her food tray and-_

" _Going somewhere, Master?"_

 _Her intention of leaving was stopped by a tiny knock._

" _Why don't ya have a drink with me?"_

 _The almighty_ _ **Shuten Douji**_ _placed her cup of sake on the table as she pulled the chair and sat down._

"… _I'm still a minor….."_

 _Another cup was placed on the table, followed by a tug on her clothes._

" _Then have some juice, human." Said_ _ **Ibaraki Douji**_ _as she set her grip on Fujimaru'seat, making the thing unmovable."We are inviting you to have a toast with us, do not turn down ours offer."_

"… _.I…Ibaraki-chan…..even if you say that…."_

 _A strange sight made her voice trailed off. She noticed a column of smoke from a cigarette lighted outside the main entrance._ _ **Lord El-Melloi II**_ _was watching her._

 _Instantly, sparks of thunder roared inside Fujimaru's clueless mind. Something was definitely unusual about this whole situation._

 _This was not a normal conversation._

 _Mata Hari was an underground spy exceled in gathering information and conversation art. Her abilities justified the reason why she was the first person to start this conversation with her._

 _As for the oni, they were here to restrict her movement. When it comes to strength, they were a hundred times superior in comparison to a human girl like her. With Shuten and Ibaraki on both sides, Fujimaru had nowhere to run._

 _In another words, this was the pincer formation._

… _a battle tactic!?_

" _What's wrong, dear? You look nervous." Mata Hari's sweet, gentle voice stroked her shocking mind._

 _That was not a question spoke out of concern. That was a simple line of words used to measure the distance to her heart. If she spoke up right now, the dancer could easily grasp her mentality and force through._

 _Fujimaru was trapped, like a little deer among the pack of predators._

" _You might think this is going too far, for the duty of the Servants is to help the Master achieve their goal." Mata Hari had already guessed what was going through Fujimaru's head."But you should have aware this by now, we're doing this out of concern toward you. Everyone is worried because Master has been acting strange lately."_

"… _.I….."_

" _Master is a good child, you've been trying really hard to restore history and preserve this peace. It's no good if you keep taking all the burden to yourself, you can share it with the others here."_

"… _."_

 _Everyone turned to look at her, no longer averting their gazes. This was what they had been waiting, they wanted to listen to her story, the reason behind that sadness in her eyes._

 _They all were willing to help her._

" _You see, everyone is lending you a hand." Mata Hari held out her hand."Would you consider taking these hands and let them wipe away that depression you've endured for too long?"_

 _It had come to this point._

 _Fujimaru asked herself many times over if she should express everything here or not. When the moment to decide approached, her conflicts began to resurface._

 _And finally…_

 _After looking at the young woman's feminine hand for some time, she smiled._

 _Her smile was not sad, it filled with happy and appreciation. But those emotions were not recognized by anyone._

 _The atmosphere froze, those who were watching her in hope that she would accept their help all widened their eyes in bewilderment._

 _It was the opposite, the tiny lines of wet tears on her cheek made it obvious._

"… _I'm sorry….."_

 _She couldn't accept their help._

 _She couldn't take those hands._

 _She couldn't tell them about it._

"… _I can't…"_

 _Humanity and the distant future, everything has already been destined to be destroyed._

 _All because she saved the world._

… _._

… _._

"Later, I discovered the hidden passage leading to the underground facility. Whenever I got the chance, I always sneak my way around the base thanks to that place."

That would explain why she knew about it.

"I could have been the only one thinking about it this way, maybe it's just me being selfish." Fujimaru chuckled weakly."But still, I really don't want to worry anybody with my own problem. Kamijou-kun, what do you think of me? Do you think I'm being selfish? To everyone?"

"….."

He couldn't give her a definite answer. Because he, too, also aware of his nature. If it was his own problem, he would rather take everything upon himself than getting others involved.

They're the same in this regard.

However, the amount of burden they carry on their shoulder is different. He is the hero of the third World War and she is the savior of humanity.

What they have reached out to save should not be compared.

Still, they share the same value. The value of being an ordinary person who does indescribable great for the sake of others.

If he was put into the same position as her, he would have probably done the same thing.

But….

"Is this really the right way?"

That question slipped his mouth, as if asking himself and her at the same time.

"The future is uncertain but it is destined to be destroyed because you saved it. To be honest, I'm actually an idiot so I still don't get the full picture of what you've been through."

"…"

"You restored history and saved the world once. Can't you do it again if that future occurs? Of course, it's a big responsibility but you did it together with the help of others, right? Is it really okay to leave it like this? Not letting them know about it?"

"No, I can't. You don't understand."

"I learned one or two lessons from those phra-from my experiences. I won't say that I can fully understand the pain you hide from everyone in confidence but at the very least I can understand the same way you feel about this. That future you saw in your dreams and those warnings from that knight, you knew what will happen a year later. The reason? When? Why? How will it happen? Everything is unknown, so what? You don't need to find answers to those questions. You had a premonition of a global disaster, isn't that enough? You just have to inform everyone about it and come up with something together. At least you know you come prepared even if everything is erased from existence and becomes a white sheet."

"I can't!" Fujimaru suddenly raised her voice."It doesn't work that way!"

Those words kept on echoing in the empty cafeteria.

"…..s…..sorry…I shouldn't have raised my voice like that…"

Just now, her inner feeling boiled up. It almost burst like a broken dam.

She got a quick sip of the leftover tea in her cup.

"Kamijou-kun, we're the same. But you don't understand, what I say will change nothing."

Her tone was soft, yet those words contained unbearable weight.

"There's no way to change it, there's no way to change the course of the future. The ending has already been decided the moment I defeated Goetia to restore the Human Foundation."

Those tender hands of her tightened into a fist, they shook as if she wanted to vent out all the frustration.

"I tried to think of many things. I tried to look into what Galahad is telling me in my dream, yet, no matter what I do, the result will always be the same. Humanity will be destroyed by something I can't even comprehend. That is the one and only ending for the world one year later."

"Then…" Kamijou had to break that line of thought."What about the others? What about those who have been together with you from beginning till the end?"

"It's no use. It's already too late."

Her vision closed shut, holding in the tingling wet feeling in the corner of her eyes.

Her story has not ended there, not yet.

There was one more fragment to fit in the picture as a whole.

It was the key to unlock the door that leads to the deepest part of a dungeon. The final piece shined the truth behind that painful look in her eyes.

" **I can only stay in Chaldea for a few more days."**

Heavy blizzard threw against the sturdy windshield.

Those words froze everything around them to the core.

"….what?"

...

….

* * *

 **[Between the Line 7]**

 _Suffocating._

 _The taping sound coming from a recorder rang in her ears._

 _Aside from a desk and three seats prepared beforehand, there was nothing else inside an empty room. Just sitting in here, she felt her existence was like bird in a cage._

 _Two men were right there across the table, one of them placed the recorder on the desk._

" _Begin the next section."_

 _They were the first inspectors sent by the Association. As the representative of the investigation committee, they were here to investigate ahead of Chaldea activities during the one year blankness of the outside world and compiled all those info into a report._

 _Lights on the ceiling weren't used. Instead, the only source of light in the room came directly from behind them, blinding her vision._

" _Let's confirm everything from the beginning. You're saying that the Human Foundation was destroyed about a year ago and recently it have been restored."_

 _This was an inquisition. In order to get more info about what happened during the blank year, the remaining staff of Chaldea became suspects._

" _Y-Yes."_

 _Fujimaru Ritsuka was the next person on their list._

 _She couldn't see their face, all she could see were the blurry, shadowy outlines of their upper shoulder. That bright light came from a single lamb made it difficult for the girl to properly gather her thoughts._

 _They didn't seem to care about the discomfort on her expression._

 _They kept throwing at her a series of questions._

 _She answered them all, not missing a single detail of what had occurred during the Human Incineration Incident._

 _Lights went back on._

 _Finally, she can see well the faces of those men. Judging from the look, she doubted if they actually believed her story._

" _Very well, thank you for your cooperation."_

 _They stopped recording._

" _Um, can I leave now?"_

" _Not yet, there're more things we need to look into."_

 _That respond was unpleasant._

 _How much more time does she has to spend inside this room?_

" _Please keep the light on." The auburn haired girl quickly said."I don't really like being shined in the face."_

" _Oh, we're sorry. Was that too much pressure to you?"_

 _Now she knew why they turned off the lights. It was one of the interrogation methods used to add more stress to their suspect._

… _are these guys for real!?_

 _They treated her as if she was criminal._

" _To sum it up, the changes in the seven core events of ours history were caused by this Demon God King Goetia. The method you used to fix it was time-traveling back to those sources and brought it in line with the current timeline. This so called Human Incineration Incident happened for a whole year but you didn't give us any clue to prove that."_

" _There's still the data of all the singularities stored within SHEBA, you can check it in the central control room."_

" _We can't be sure about that."_

" _Why?"_

" _Such story is unlikely. We're the investigators. Based on what we've gathered so far, we cannot trust every word of the staff. There's a high possibility you and others might try to mislead us."_

" _Then you can ask the Servants, they have been with me from the start. They can prove what I'm telling is the truth."_

" _That can't be done. It will be a waste of time and resource." One of the men bluntly said."Testimonies from those Heroic Spirits are invalid."_

 _Eyes widened in shock, Fujimaru couldn't believe in what she heard._

 _Another document was on the table, they opened it and the picture of a former regular high school girl appeared._

 _That stack of papers contained her info._

" _We've looked into your profile, candidate number 48, Fujimaru Ritsuka. A normal civilian with no actual magic potential. Currently, you are the only one who is capable of rayshifting in Chaldea. And you're also the first Master ever to have made contracts with a very large number of Servants. These Servants of yours, since they are under your command, it would make sense that we have no obligation to question them. We don't need that."_

" _What do you mean?" Fujimaru muttered in confusion._

" _What I mean is…" Clearing his throat, he frowned."We can't trust them."_

 _Cannot trust?_

 _What are these people saying!?_

" _Let's just assume that humanity had been destroyed once in the past just as you said, the Human Foundation needs to be restored but Chaldea force alone was not enough. You would need the power of the Heroic Spirits. For that reason, they were summoned here to help you. Chaldea summoning system aside, it's incredible that a civilian like you can have such a large amount of magical energy to manage their links. But that would be it for someone who has zero magic circuit measurement. We found nothing extraordinary from you. It's questionable that the head of Chaldea could entrust humanity to a kid, who is still at the age of a high school student like you. These Servants belong to you, of course anything you tell them, they would gladly do as you say like puppets."_

 _Fujimaru wanted to retort._

 _She was ready to scream in their face for insulting the Servants._

 _However, she needed to be calmed. These people were just here to investigate what had happened._

" _Let me ask you a question. What are you planning with those Servants?"_

" _What?"_

" _Your Servants were summoned here to aid you in restoring history. Based on your story, it means that Grand Order is completed. The contract should have been fulfilled." They glared at her."Yet, they are still here. Isn't it strange? This poses lots of suspicions, I assume you have something to say about this?"_

 _It was certainly true that they were called here to aid Chaldea in restoring the world._

 _Why were they still here in Chaldea despite their contracts had been fulfilled?_

 _ **...because they can't leave you alone, Ritsuka-chan...**_

 _Fujimaru remembered, she had been told that by Da Vinci-chan._

 _She breathed in, gathering her focus._

" _There's nothing strange about it."_

 _Both men blinked at her._

" _You don't trust me, it's fine. Chaldea had went through a lot. So much people lost their life just to help us return history to its true course. They decided to stay here with us because we still need their help, we need more assistance since Chaldea is in a crisis and they wanted to stay here by their own will. Please take back what you said about them being puppets, I don't like the way you're viewing my friends."_

" _Hm, friends?" One of the men snickered."The world doesn't work that way, miss. They're just parts of the rituals involve the holy relic. I'm surprised you can think of them this way, do remember that you're the only Master here. If something happens, it is entirely your responsibility."_

" _I'm well aware of that. However, please refrain from badmouthing them."_

 _The man was about to retort but an arm held out in front of him._

" _Very well. We will discuss no more about this matter." Next to him, his partner spoke as he fixed his glasses."I apologize if his words make you feel uncomfortable. His manner is usually unstable whenever he relaxes too much."_

" _Hey, that hurt."_

 _The girl nodded her head. She felt somewhat relieve._

 _At least one of the inspectors seemed to be someone who can be considerate toward others._

 _The man wearing glasses looked at his watch._

" _This inquisition has been taking too long. I'm sure you're tired but there're still some questions we need to clarify. Let's continue for about 10 more minutes before we can officially wrap this up."_

… _..10 more minutes…..and I won't have to endure this any longer…..._

 _Fujimaru had no idea._

 _No question was asked in the next 10 minutes._

…

…

"… _next job?"_

 _Disbelief overtook her tired expression._

 _If she was standing near the edge of a bridge, that 10 minutes could have become a merciless existence pushing her over the guardrail._

 _And while watching her being consumed by the darkness below, it could have showed a very, very menacing smile._

 _The inspector wearing glasses didn't have that kind of smile on his face. He wasn't bluntly showing his ill intention toward her either._

 _Another inquisition will take place when the new staff arrives at Chaldea. However, the next objective of the inquiry is clear._

" _The current Chaldea will be disbanded and the staff will be restructured by the Association. The old staff may get promotion and transferred to different departments across the world. I suppose we should inform you so you can prepare for your next job."_

" _Next job? Does that means I will have to stop being a Master? I won't be a part of the staff member anymore!?"_

 _She started losing her cool. Fujimaru knew she should restraint herself but nothing could help at this rate. It was bounded to happen sooner or later._

" _No, we didn't mean it by that. It's not up to us to decide, we don't have the authority to do so. Based on yours and others testimonies, you and Chaldea have done nothing wrong supposedly if the Human Incineration Incident did happen. However, you have broken many laws and regulations of the Association by initiating the Grand Order. Personal restructure without the Magus Association's permission. Unauthorized disclosure of top secrets to regular staffs and unauthorized Rayshift. Records are still just records. Indirectly alternating human history and interrupting the World can be a very severe crime."_

" _!?"_

" _There are a massive amount of death and injuries suffered by the remaining 47 Master candidates. Almost 80% of the staff is gone. We're not sure if these events were coincidental or malicious intended. The most important evidence here is the mass utilization of Servants that was supposed to be limited to only 7. You have an army of Servants, each of their strength alone is enough to annihilate the entire organization within a week. This could be a part of a conspiracy and you could be the greatest threat ever to us. For that, we can't let this slide."_

"… _..what are you saying!?" Fujimaru's mind turned blank._

 _They looked at her like she was a dangerous being._

 _Did this mean she become a criminal in the eyes of these people?_

 _Did this mean she will be forced to leave Chaldea?_

" _You might have contributed a lot to save humanity, assuming your story is real. Unfortunately, no matter how you look at this situation, I think it's inevitable the Association will come up with the same idea. To handle your case, they might have to make you leave Chaldea."_

" _And they already did it._ _You were just a candidate who was there to fill in the numbers." The other man chimed in._

" _Tch, don't be so hasty and slip your mouth. The info hasn't been officially announced yet."_

" _The New Director said so himself, there's no reason to keep it from her."_

 _The man wearing glasses let out a sigh._

" _Yes, it is just as he said."_

 _For whatever reason, Fujimaru felt hurt inside her chest. She came to know something from this short 10 minutes._

" _I'm sorry to put it this way but we will follow the order of the new head of Chaldea and request Acting Director Da Vinci to co-operate with us by putting you under surveillance. In other words, you will be forced to resign by the end of this year."_

 _Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn't think, her thought blurred. She felt her heart stopped, skipping a beat for a second as if someone stabbed it with a knife._

" _ **Chaldea has no more need of your service**_ _."_

 _Her duty had officially come to an end._

 _That short 10 minutes was the conclusion of everything._

 _It was written by the unfair reality she had been facing for so long._

...

….

…

This was the ending of her story.

In both effort and ideal, she had been rejected by the future of the world she saved.

"I will have to leave Chaldea." Fujimaru continued in bitter."Permanently."

A very cruel conclusion awaits her at the end of the story.

That was how it happened.

That was how the tears won't stop flowing down her cheek.

In every night, waking up from that dream, she would always cry alone.

But it could never wash away the pain inside.

She saved humanity and the world.

Yet, in the end, everything turned against her.

It all will happen because she was the one who saved it.

Fujimaru slowly looked back at her reflection inside the lukewarm tea.

"Everyone I know will get promoted and transfer to different departments around the world. The new group from the Association will replace them and you could be a part of them for all I know. Soon, the Rayshift program will be frozen. The Servants, their contracts have already been fulfilled, it is just a matter of time before they leave their spot and return to the Throne of Heroes again." She grabbed the cup and just held onto it."Mashu, she is a full-pledged human now. She can go anywhere with the others."

As for herself, she has no idea how things will turn out.

"I guess this is it." The auburn haired girl took a sip as she spoke."This is the end of my story."

The boy did not know what to say.

Windshields on the wall uttered small sounds as the blizzard outside grew bigger.

"Kamijou-kun, I'm sorry."

"?"

"Suddenly telling you the world is reaching a dead end in one more year, I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable. Thank you for listening to my story, I feel a little better now."

She smiled at him, she looked happy like a massive weight has been lifted off her shoulder.

But….

Kamijou could not look at it that way.

His heart dropped at tears spilled from her tear gland.

That was not a smile filled with happiness, it was stained by pain and distress.

That was the last strong font she put on in order not to make him worry.

And it was slowly breaking apart.

The burden she carried, the effort she had spent to save humanity were firing back at her.

The ending of this world.

And the ending of Fujimaru Ritsuka, the girl who saved humanity.

Everything has already been decided.

Fate is a strange thing and it can be very unreasonable.

He couldn't stand it.

He couldn't stand the way this world is working.

Up till now, he still couldn't get a good grasp on everything the girl said.

He couldn't get a clear view of what will become of this world one year later.

But…...

Seeing that painful look in her eyes.

 _ **...so let's think about this more simply/return…..**_

Seeing those tears spilling from her eyes as the girl stared at the dead end of her life.

… _ **let's set aside all that confusing stuff like the morality and mystery surroundings human life/return…..**_

Seeing the smile that was robbed of the happiness she should be deserved for all the things she had done to save humanity.

… _ **Who says returning to the original world means you have to hide the fact that you didn't save everyone /escape? That's just you not wanting to disappoint them /return. Isn't that right /escape?…**_

It reminded him of that moment.

… _ **see you in the original world, Kamijou-chan/return…...**_

"…..I….really didn't make it easy for her, huh."

Kamijou muttered quietly to no one.

He finished his tea in one gulp, eyes closing, bringing his palms together to show his deepest gratitude.

"Thank you for the delicious meal."

"I'm glad you like it."

"Fujimaru-senpai, there is something I need to tell you."

The girl noticed the change in his way of addressing her. It was the start of something she never knew coming.

"To tell the truth, I…..."

He knew her pain.

And he understood it.

Because they were the same.

She kept that pain to herself.

She accepted the fact that everything she did has been rejected by the world she saved.

She believed it was her fault.

And she was ready to embrace it, she decided to stick with the cruel ending awaiting her.

"When I was there in your room, I overheard it by accident."

"…eh?"

So now….

It's time to bring it out.

It's time to help the girl who is bearing the same sadness as his listen to herself.

It's time to let her hear it.

The whisper of her genuine feeling.

" **You actually want to be saved from this fate, don't you?"**

…

* * *

 **[Between the Line 8]**

 **Part 1**

 _Yes._

 _Before the curtain closes, before the once in a life time meeting occurs, there was one more thing that had yet to be told._

 _It was only a few days after the inquisition._

 _The clock struck midnight, Fujimaru tiredly woke up in her bed._

 _She couldn't fall asleep again as the same dream cut off midway._

 _Her hands were shaking._

… _.nothing._

 _She found nothing._

 _Galahad had addressed her the same issue over and over, and she still couldn't do anything._

 _She had no answer for his question. Perhaps, in the very beginning, there was already no way to prevent the world from becoming a white sheet._

"… _I can't….."_

 _She was like a child trapped deep inside a tunnel._

 _She could not find the exit for there was no light to shine the way._

"… _I don't want to fight them…."_

 _Her ideal started crumbling._

 _She could not fight against what she desired to protect._

 _There was a gap in human history, and she could not fix it._

 _Everything she did were in vain even though so many had sacrificed themselves to open the path for her._

"… _.I don't want everything to end like this…"_

 _Like a sand castle enduring many rouge waves, these conflicting emotions she hid for too long had reached its peak._

 _Something glittered in the dark._

 _Fujimaru noticed her cheek was wet, the tears slowly spilled and kept on._

 _The girl wanted it to stop but she couldn't._

 _Fujimaru realized something deep in her mind._

 _She was a girl who wished to protect others._

 _Yet….._

 _She could not save the world._

 _She could not afford to destroy others just to save her own world in a battle of surviving._

 _She could not stay here in Chaldea no longer, and the place she called home had forever gone._

 _This was the harsh reality she had to face._

 _She had lost._

 _She felt pain._

 _And that pain stabbed into Fujimaru's exposed heart without anything to soften the blow._

 _Letting her tears flow, Fujimaru sat there in her bed for a while, staring down at the red command seal at the back of her hand without a hint of emotion._

 _The clock turned to 2:00 in the morning._

 _Time did not speed up._

 _That was just how long the girl stayed that way._

 _In her mind, she thought about lots of things._

 _Fujimaru Ritsuka covered her face with her hands._

 _As she softly cried, her trembling lip moved._

" _Please….."_

 _If this was a nightmare, she wished she would wake up._

 _If this was a horrible joke, she wished it would stop._

 _If this was a cruel fate, she wished for it to change._

 _And finally….._

 _Finally….._

 _Finally….._

 _The girl spoke…._

"… _ **save me from this fate…..."**_

….

….

 **Part 2**

 _A miracle did not appear._

 _But….._

 _Just as she said that, an object hit the ground._

 _Flinched by the noise, she looked at the source._

 _A pudding cup from out of nowhere spilled on the floor._

 _A figure stood near, staring at her in surprise._

 _A black spiky haired head caught her line of sight._

 _That was a boy, wearing a pair of casual clothes that didn't seem to fit anywhere in Chaldea._

 _It was Kamijou Touma._

 _And their eyes met._

 _A miracle did not occur._

 _But…._

 _In that beginning of a once in a life time meeting._

 _The massive burden and the pain she carried had been known._

…..

* * *

"You want to be saved."

She froze.

Her lip opened but closed immediately afterward, she couldn't deny or say anything back.

Yes.

Yes, that is true.

She was indeed truly wanted to be saved.

Saved from this fate which binding her together with the end of the world.

Still…

"I don't." She shook it off.

Staring at her failure to prevent the world from reaching a dead end, she believed she has been a conceived, ignorant girl because of her desire of helping people.

"Yes, you do. And you want to save people just as much as I want to protect the smiles of those around me. You made it this far because you've been supported by the Servants, your friends, didn't you? You managed to defeat some demon who thought he can change the world and made himself its rightful God, you became the savior of humanity because they opened a path for you to reach him. It was thanks to everyone around you. Why taking everything onto yourself like it is something you must do!?"

"Of course I have to!" Fujimaru stood up from her seat."This is what I'm willing to do from the very beginning! I carry this responsibility with me because I want to protect everyone from danger! That's why there's no reason for me not to accept it!"

"Don't lie." Kamijou also did the same."You experienced hell because of that, you're forcing yourself to accept this ending."

Hearing those words from the boy, her retort came to a halt. Her spirit wavered.

Yes.

Maybe that might be the case, she did not want to give in to her fate.

"…Kamijou-kun, please try to understand…"

"I understand." Kamijou answered firmly."You lost your home, you have nowhere else you can call home but this place. Your ideal was shattered into pieces because you saved the world only for it to be destroyed again later."

"…."

"But isn't it enough? The peace this world is having right now, right at this very moment, it was thanks to you."

She struggled against those thoughts. The conflicting emotions within her, they were screaming, desperately trying to break out like a crying newborn baby.

"What of it then? This peace will come to an end. What if there's no other ways? Even if I try harder, what if nothing changes? I can't be so ignorant and selfish at this. I don't want humanity to be saved through bloodshed. I don't want to fight against what I want to protect, I can't afford to do it."

"I'm not talking about saving humanity."

"!?"

"I'm talking about you! Your feelings are what matters most right now! What's wrong with being selfish? You did all you could, you came this far into your story, why don't give yourself a chance and listen to what you really want."

"Does it even matters? The ending has already been decided. I can't do anything to change it." She shook her head."No, it's impossible to change. I don't want my friends and allies to be involved with something I made by these hands. I don't want them to know that I have destroyed the future of humanity. I don't want them to blame themselves for helping me in making things go this way. That is my responsibility. That is my fate."

For a long time, there's a saying fate is the will beyond a person's control. It is the will of supernatural powers that watches over your every footsteps in life.

Sometime it can be a fortune.

Sometime it can be a twist force.

So twist that all things and events happened across history were determined by it. It is fate which decides what happen to you in a way that cannot be prevented or changed.

"Well, you know what? Screw that damn sick everything-has-already-been-decided nonsense!" Kamijou raised his voice against that absolute principle."There's always a choice, it is people who makes their own destiny. Saying things don't work out because it's fate-bounded is nothing more than an excuse when you try to give up on everything and run away!"

His words were strangely heavy. As if an unbelievable amount of strength was crashing down the hopelessness in her heart.

"I didn't! I never try to run away but what else can I do!? Do you think I would accept this!? What else can I do when I can't even muster the courage to face the future ahead!?….." Casting her gaze down, she muttered softly."…tell me Kamijou-kun, what else can I do to fix this...?"

That voice came out very lightweight.

"Honestly, I don't know."

It sounded so discouraging just by hearing, she knew this would happen.

Maybe that should be enough?

There was no answer to her circumstance.

There was nothing else they could do.

There was no point in pushing this any further.

"Let's end it here."

Snack time was over.

She grabbed the plates and left the table.

A conclusion has been drawn.

A single ray of light penetrated through the thickest wall to reach a girl trapped within darkness. The girl would have struggled to stand up and followed that light, even though she wouldn't be able to escape.

Unfortunately, the burden and the responsibility she carried have become the chain pulling her back inside that blackest place.

Like a prisoner, she will await her judgment quietly.

"I have to tell you this."

"!?"

The girl startled, stumbled back into her seat when Kamijou appeared in her way. She had no clue to when this boy made his way around the table. He took the plates from her before it fell off and left it out of their sights.

"You're being stubborn like that because of the massive responsibility you've been carried." The spiky haired boy pulled a seat and sat down, facing her directly while not trying to invade her personal space."Why don't we set aside all those confusing stuff like humanity and the moral of saving the world?"

"What?"

"Instead, let's solely focus on your feeling."

So he stared at her in the eyes.

And he spoke a simple question.

"Does it really not bother you that everything you did to come this far is determined to be ruined?"

She listened to those words and took it in slowly.

Something was triggered.

Something collapsed inside that vulnerable mind.

Like an illusion has been broke, one more drop of water spilled from those puffy, teary eyes.

The longest silence followed.

Kamijou waited until that trembling lip moved.

At last, she genuinely spoke.

* * *

 **\- Music 05: Sorrow UBW Extended composed by Hideyuki Fukasawa.**

* * *

…..

" **It bothers me."**

…

"Yes, it bothers me. It really bothers me! It bothers me so much I think I'm going insane! It's not like I want to do this. It's not like I want to save everyone so they will die again by something far off in the future! Why do I have to be put into this circumstance!? Why me!? Why was I being chose as a Master candidate so I have to put up with this in the first place? Why did those inspectors have to treat me like I'm some kind of heretic, monster!? Couldn't they hide their ill-intent better? I went through seven hells, did everything I could to bring historical events back to its rightful place. And I couldn't do it alone, I did it together with Mashu and everyone. I managed to slip past all the horrible things and crazy shenanigans to reach the end because it's all thanks to them. But this happens, what they saved will be destroyed. Why do you think this matters!? Because they helped me, they helped me to save the world for it to become a white sheet! Every single one of them has their own legacies and stories that attach to this world, that's how they come to be as Servants. But I destroyed it, everything will be erased! Not a trace of their legacies will remain! I don't want them to know, I don't want to see them point at the destroyed world and say it was my fault. Then there's Mashu, she finally became a full-pledge human, she has every opportunity to look at the world outside but what I did rob her off that opportunity. She is a normal girl, she finally has a bright future ahead of her but I killed that future. Why couldn't things end peacefully after I defeated Goetia? If the world is meant to be erased after I saved it, what does it means to Doctor Roman's sacrifices? Won't this mean his effort is in vain? I can't take it, no more…I don't want to fight anymore. I was never fighting for the sake of humanity because I wanted to. It's just that I always want to help people whenever they're in need. I think like an airhead, charge in to reach those hands without thinking of the consequences and somehow resolved the problems. I never did it to be thanked. I didn't do it because I wanted anything in return. I thought if I help someone and look at their smiling face, there will be some meaning. And this is where it got me! The future reached a dead end because I helped people! An act of kindness means nothing if it brings death. None of it will matter! It never mattered. One more year! Only one more year! The worst part! It has to be bloodshed! Just as Galahad said in my dreams, there's nothing I can do except waiting for it to happen, I have to fight against what I want to protect! It's not about what's right or wrong anymore, it's about surviving. And I caused all of that to happen because I reached out my hand to save this world! I became a sinner! No matter how many excuses you make, that fact does not change! I made a decision that will kill every last one of us! Then, I began to think back to what Goetia had done. He wasn't try to destroy humanity just for the sake of himself, he actually tried to do something that might create an evolution, to prepare humanity for some kind of threat in the future. Can't you believe it!? He actually tried to SAVE humanity in his own way. And I prevented that from happening! It's crazy, it's really crazy if you thought about it but it makes sense. It makes so much sense that I hate myself! What have I been doing all this time!? It's ridiculous, what have I been trying to save!? Galahad predicted it right, I saved nothing and the future of this world is gone. If everything I did to come this far lead to destruction, why not just accept this ending!? Why not just let fate determined this is the only ending I have!? How can I actually live with this? Everything I did, everyone I saved is bounded to die in the end because fate decided it. There was no reason for me to shoulder the whole world from the beginning. In the end, who destroyed the world!? The answer is obviously me! It's stupid! Stupid! Stupid! What's wrong with this world!? Magic, Demon God, the Holy Grail, why couldn't all those things exist inside a fairy tale book or something? Why couldn't this be an ordinary world? This doesn't make any sense. I don't know anything about magic or becoming the savior of humanity, I'm not a hero. I'm just a normal high school girl! I'm just a regular nobody you can find anywhere on the streets. I just want to have a normal life back in my hometown, I just want to go to school with my friends, hang out with them, buy groceries for dinner, help my mother cook and do homework with my little brother. I want to have a reunion with my family again. But that's impossible, they're GONE, everything is GONE! The people I know are all GONE! I don't have a home to return to anymore, I have nowhere else to go. I'm scared…..I'm really scared…I want to stay in Chaldea, I want to stay with Mashu, I want to spend more time with everyone! But it's hopeless and I can't do anything about it. What else can I do? After…after everything that happens, I don't know what to do anymore!"

…..

Kamijou Touma quietly listened to the many words that gushed from Fujimaru Ritsuka's heart.

It was certainly not a beautiful thing.

It was certainly an ugly thing.

The weight of sin would crush that girl if there was no way to fix things.

But….

"If there's at least a single chance that allows you to deny this ending." He spoke."Will you take it?"

"I will take it." She nodded."At this point, I think I'm going to do everything I can to bring the future back to normal."

"Even though you know the world in the future will become a giant mass of wasteland like in your dream. You do aware the time left until a year later is uncertain, right?"

"….."

"You said you're a Master of hundreds of Servants but you see them as friends, do they look at you the same way?"

She smiled a little as she thought about it.

"They do, even though some of them are a little bit difficult to approach."

"So why do you have to hide these facts from everyone? They helped you save the world, surely they will help you save it again. Besides, I don't think they will get angry at you."

"That's not the issue."

"You're right, it's not the issue. Honestly, if we have to think of a solution to your situation, I'm sure we won't arrive at anything useful even if we spend thousands of brainstorming sessions here. It's not like this Kamijou-san can brainstorm for this complex of a topic."

"Then…."

Fujimaru began to speak but Kamijou quickly cut her off.

"But."

He said it so simply.

"Right now, there's one thing that's clearly wrong."

Fujimaru stared blankly at him, he rubbed the tip of his nose as he steadily let the words out.

"It's wrong if you keep on traumatizing yourself like this for nothing."

Fujimaru can't understand what he meant, the boy who experienced death more than anyone continued.

"If you think you're in the wrong for saving this world and you think because you did so the future of the world is doomed, you should move back a few steps to think this through. Let's just assume that fate decided everything will be erased one year later, if that happen, something must happen during the gap from here until then to trigger the event."

"…."

"You saw the destroyed world in your dream, aside from yourself, no one can justify that and pass judgment to say it is your fault. Regardless, this is just my opinion as an outsider. I think this whole situation is like a giant puzzle you have to solve with most pieces already on the table."

"?"

"Goetia tried to destroy humanity because he wanted to cause a global evolution for the sake of mankind to defend themselves against a much greater threat in the future."

"Right." Nodded Fujimaru.

"Won't this mean the world is meant to be destroyed exactly one year later even if that Demon God didn't cause a world-wide chaos?"

She flinched.

It was another piece of the puzzle.

"What about Solomon? He sacrificed his legacy, it created a gap in the course of history. Galahad shows me the consequence of that."

"If it was a premonition, anything can happen, deception can be created to corner people. He can show you whatever you're trying to reject."

It was not that she has accepted everything he said.

However, she would sadden it that was true.

And he continued.

"Maybe it could be a message to tell you something about the catastrophe that lies ahead. Well, looking on the bright side, maybe he was trying to help you prepare for the kind of fight you never want to get involved. It's not a fight between good and evil and with the concept of right or wrong."

If it was a fight where neither the position of good nor evil existed, her ideal would have completely shattered and she could never survive in that kind of fight.

Fujimaru spent a moment to think, something flicked in her mind.

She recalled Galahad had always observed her through Mashu.

"Maybe he understands that aspect of yours really well, that's why he decided to help you with those dreams."

It was just one possibility among countless others. Yet, she felt as if something was gradually coming into view.

"Helping others has always been your ideal, you don't want to disappoint them. But what lies ahead is different. You can't return everything to normal if you don't prepare yourself for it."

"But Chaldea will never be the same. Soon, I will have to leave this place. I won't be staying here and every one of us will get separated."

"Then this time, it's your turn to ask for help."

Her eyes widened a bit as she listened.

"If you think you should help others and you want to hold out your hands so it could reach those who are in need or suffer, you should help yourself as well. There's not a single thing wrong with that. Call it selfish or whatever you want, but it has nothing to do with the responsibility you're carrying. You should keep doing what you do best rather than wearing yourself down on the inside."

Fujimaru sat motionlessly on the seat for a while.

In the future of this world, everything and everyone will be erased as the future reaches a dead end.

But needless to say, it will become a word that would bare its fangs toward her.

"Would it be okay…for me to ask for help?" She finally asked.

The black spikey haired boy was listening.

"Would it be okay for me to oppose this fate?"

"You can." He smiled."Even if there truly is no other way to prevent the world from reaching a dead end in the future, you can survive through it and find another way to return everything back to normal just like how you did before. It won't be easy, that's for sure. It may even leave scars and it will directly affect the survival of people around the world."

He sounded nonchalant but Fujimaru listened.

Fate is uncertain, so is the future.

No one could say what would happen until that catastrophe occurs.

But…

"Senpai, what is it that you want the most right now?" Kamijou asked.

She hung her head down, a soft voice escaped Fujimaru Ritsuka's lip.

"I want to….."

This time, the girl truly let out her genuine feeling as the words spilled out.

"It may be selfish and it may not change anything, but I want to be here, I want to be together with everyone. I want to stay with Mashu…"

Those feelings were horribly wretched, pathetic and worthless, but this was the true voice of her exposed heart.

It was the desire she could never abandon or let go.

"That settles it."

The conclusion has been reached.

Kamijou slowly stood up, bringing the dishes over to the kitchen and washed them.

Fujimaru watched his back as he stood in that corner.

"You just keep doing what you do best. But this time, ask for help. Don't worry about what will happen, worry about yourself first. I think it will all work out in the end."

She smiled and focused back on the unfinished tea cup.

"Yeah."

She sip a bit, it was lukewarm but she felt relieve.

It was as if she has finally let go of the heavy burden she's been carried on her shoulder.

The sound of water coming out the sink, her chain of thoughts slowly shifted to that boy. He gave out such a strange vibe, to think she has expressed everything to someone she just met on a single night.

Then, she thought about tomorrow.

"Say, Kamijou-kun…"

Somehow, she believed.

With that boy being here, Chaldea would become a very lively place.

"Tomorrow, do you want to have lunch with me and Mashu?"

"…"

"I'll introduce you to…." She turned back."…..everyone…"

And she saw no one standing there.

"Kamijou-kun?"

The boy was gone.

…..

…..

...

She sat quietly in that cafeteria.

By the time she noticed, the blizzard outside has stopped. The early morning sunlight showed itself through the cold, hazy sky of Antarctica.

She thought as if she just woke up from another dream.

At the front door, a gap opened, an animal came in through that narrowed space and went to her table.

"Fou?"

"….fou…kyu!" Said the squirrel-liked animal as he launched into her embrace.

One side of the door swung some more, a girl with short lilac haired looked as the glasses she was wearing reflected the sight of dawn.

"Senpai, good morning. So you're here."

"Mashu…..huh?"

She saw another group of people behind that door, as the left swing swung opened, they all came in.

"Oh, Ritsuka-kun woke up this early? This is a good sign."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Let's do our best today as well, Master." **Helena Blavatsky** waved at her as she went with Edison and **Nikola Tesla** , a rare sight for those three to go together in group.

"Heyo! Good morning, Master." **Billy the Kid** greeted as he went to his usual spot with Robin Hood and **Geronimo**.

"Good morning, Master~! I'll make omelette with Tamamo Specialty today so you just wait there!" Said Tamamo Cat as she put on the pink apron.

"Hm, those dishes. Did you just sneak out to eat snack late at night again?" EMIYA sighed."I guess it can't be helped. What would you like me to cook for today menu, Master?"

"Ara ara~, Master's expression looks better today. Perhaps something good happened?" **Irisviel von Einzbern** cheerfully spoke next to a man with red hood, they sat and waited for EMIYA's cooking.

"Munya, munya~." The **Jaguar Warrior** sat in the table with that much words, stretching the body like a big cat waking up from a good sleep.

"Being here this early, perhaps, you're waiting for me?" **Circe** stared at Fujimaru with expectation.

"Suddenly getting the feeling to work more diligent eh, Master? Guess this old man's going to lose a lazy buddy." **Hector** shrugged nonchalantly.

"Master is never lazy! Master works hard by having fun with **Chacha** all the time!" Retorted the mistress of the Sun.

"….." **Arjuna** and **Karna** passed by, quietly nodding at the young girl.

"Master, Osakabehime-dono has shown me a good game! Would you like to play it with me today?" **Tomoe Gozen** bashfully asked with a gaming console in her hands.

"Stop getting Master into trivial games." **Penthesilea** quickly said.

"It's not trivial! It's the best game of the year!" Shouted Osakabehime as she lost somewhere in the crowd.

"You looked confused, are you alright?" Goddess **Ereshkigal** was concerned.

"Hm? You seems relaxed now, compare to before….." **Ishtar** chimed in between and the two goddesses glared dagger at each other.

More and more voices echoed around the cafeteria. The staff and the Servants surrounded her in all directions.

As the auburn haired girl watched them, there was this gentle, soothing feeling in the air. She has no idea if that was her feeling happy.

"It's rare to see you up this early, why is that?" **Arash** brought back the main question.

"….ah, well….." She scratched her cheek in a slow motion as she tried to find the right word for it."I think I'm feeling better?"

"Let me see! Let me see! **BB-chan** will have a look at my pathetic little Master….eh, your mood is definitely improve." She sounded a little disappointed.

"However." **Nero** **Claudius** cut in, holding Fujimaru by the cheek."Umu, this burning heat, this red, bright expression befitting a flower blossoms at spring. It's certainly beautiful."

Fujimaru chuckled wryly at the Red Emperor's remark.

"Master, you are in love."

"…."

"…."

"….."

Everything went silent.

Like a switch was pressed, commotion broke out.

"Little puppy is whaaaattttttttttttttt!?" **Elizabeth** **Báthory** started first, she was stopped by **Carmilla**.

"Oh my~." **Marie Antoinette** giggled.

"It seems Master is finally at that age." **Medea** muttered in understanding.

"What are you talking about!? I'm not in love with anyone!"

"But your expression speaks otherwise."

"Hou, this is interesting." Someone pulled the chair next to Fujimaru and sat down. The girl's face paled at the presence of Caster Gilgamesh."Care to share me the story, mongrel?"

"Yes, very interesting indeed." **Oda** **Nobunaga** joined in."It's something I want to hear from my retainer."

"Master~, mama also wants to hear." **Raikou** was already next to her, smiling dangerously.

"This is what I need to free me from boredom." **Ozymandias** said in delight."Ritsuka-chan, entertain me with your story."

 **King Hassan** quietly approached his contractor. Behind him, **Cursed Arm** and **Hundred-Faced** stood close, waiting for the story to be told.

"Master, may I ask!" **Lancelot** rushed in."Is it my daughter!?"

"Sir Lancelot, would you please come outside with me for a moment?"

Mashu gave him a scold outside the cafeteria.

"I see, then it must be…..somehow, I should have my hope up." **Gawain** was determined about something.

"Sir Gawain, I recommend you shouldn't." **Tristan** made a comment.

"Youngster should know when to enjoy youth to the fullest, don't you think so?" Old man **Yagyuu Munenori** said as he sat with **Sasaki Kojirou** , who simply smiled.

"So who is the person you're in love with?" **Astolfo** and **Chevalier d'Eon** were curious.

"I…..I don't have anyone!"

"Well, denying it won't help, Master. Staying truthful sometime will never harm yourself." **James Moriarty** added fuel to the fire."Besides, you just stuttered during your speech. That's mean those feelings are real and you're embarrassed about it."

Twisting her words like that, what an evil man!

"The course of true love never did run smooth." Laughed Shakespeare.

"Must you say that!? Do you really have to say it like that!?"

"One thing's for sure, you seem to look better."

From the crowd, a beautiful young woman moved forth with a stack of papers in her arm.

It was Da Vinci.

She placed the stack in front of Fujimaru.

"This is…?"

"These are the various reports that keep the record of what happened throughout your journey." She explained."It took a while to write these documents. They're not finished yet, however, but this will be our trump card in proving our innocent if things get out of hand."

The Renaissance genius smiled with her staff making little motion.

"Ritsuka-chan, this is also dedicate to you. We all know what happened during the inquiry. If the Association tries to pull dirty tricks and force you out of Chaldea, they will have to deal with me first."

It was like some kind of a blessing.

"Thank you. And I'm sorry everyone." She slowly bowed down."I'm sorry for not being myself recently. I've seen something horrible in the future, something that will bring the world to an end. I realized everything I did together with you all were in vain….I don't know what to do."

"There is no need to apologize in the first place. Look around you, Ritsuka-chan." Da Vinci confidently declared as she spread her arms and emphasized."You saved the world and you helped everyone here. Now it is our turn to help you."

Everyone gathered around her, she was surprised to hear those words. It was exactly as that boy said.

These were her friends, they would willing to support her to the very end.

"You can count on us, Master." The legendary King **Artoria Pendragon** spoke up."Let the Servants help you, for we are the bonds you have made."

"Everyone, you all really don't mind with my selfish request? You won't get mad if the future of the world is gone because of me?"

"A question." **Queen of Sheba** raised her hand."What is it that cannot be exchanged with money? It is the time between you and us. Even if you can see the future, it's just knowledge. The connection between hearts fostered daily is something that cannot be changed or stolen by others."

She was an ordinary human.

She was a regular high school girl.

She was someone without any remarkable talent.

But she was a Master.

She was someone who gained support from the entire Throne of Heroes.

She was a precious member of Chaldea.

"It's a real treasure you should cherish."

Fujimaru Ritsuka kept that in mind, she would never forget.

A chuckle escaped her lip.

"Thank you. I'm glad to have meet you all."

Thus….

"Anyway, back to the previous topic."

"Eh?"

"Let's make this a trade secret, how much does it cost for you to reveal your love story?"

…they're still on about it!?

"I'm not charging anything! I have nothing to tell!"

"Aw~, don't be shy."

Two pairs of hand placed on her shoulder. Fujimaru was about to turn her head around but she felt like that action could come at the cost of a heart attack.

"Yes, let's not be shy~."

"I do want to confirm if this is some sort of betrayal."

Cold sweat dripped from her forehead as she felt the thirst of predators. By using two of the Command Spell, Fujimaru forced Kiyohime and Tamamo to sleep back in their rooms.

It was already morning.

They woke up and they were right behind her.

She was within their grasp.

Fujimaru let out a deep sigh and looked back at them, keeping herself together.

"Make way!"

She broke out from their grips and ran.

The final red seal at the back of her hand disappeared, she used it to enhance both strength and stamina in a short moment.

"Ah, don't try to run!"

"Mashu, come with me!" She grabbed the girl's hand and they fled together.

"Senpai?"

As the kouhai tried to match her running pace, she looked back at the group of people and Servants followed after them.

"Mashu, I decided. I will keep doing what I do best! Even if the future of the world is in ruined, we will definitely restore it again! Until then, please continue to help your incompetent senpai!"

"N-Not at all! Senpai, you look happy today. Did something happen?"

"Yes, something happened! It was not a miracle, it was not a dream **Merlin** pulled me into but something did happened! There was this person I met last night….."

And….

And…..

And…..

"He saved me."

Those words were accompanied by a bright smile.

…...

* * *

By the time he looked beyond the small ventilation window, the moon has already gone.

In the early morning, the dark was replaced by the golden shining sunlight. The longer he looked at it, the brighter it became.

…I'm back…..

He looked around after taking a moment to let everything sink in. He wasn't sure how in the world could he return back to this familiar bathroom.

What just happened?

Did everything just now is nothing more than a dream?

Was he too hungry that he passed out and ended up in a dream world made out of his imagination?

Confused and tired, Kamijou sighed, he climbed back into that cold bathtub.

It would be his best chance to get a short decent sleep before that door is knocked on again by a young nun with her greedy stomach.

Something roughed like the edges of a book hit him while he tried to rub the back of his clouded head.

In the corner of his eyes, the right hand was holding the diary. He was not sure when did it came out of his pocket or when did he thrust that right hand inside to take it.

The pages flipped.

Looking at the newly added entry, his eyes widened as all the needless doubts were wiped out.

And then, he just smiled.

He put the diary on the edge of the bathtub and briefly glanced down at the right hand.

….I shouldn't be overthinking but…..

If it was possible, there might have been a connection existed on a much larger scale than anyone could anticipate.

And hopefully, the red knot has not been tied yet.

Lying down, Kamijou closed his eyes, finally allowed the state of mind to sink deeply into the void.

 **Knock Knock!**

"Touma!" Another knock."Touma! Wake up!"

Kamijou sat up and stared at the door, speechless. Those knocking sounds violently rebounded in the air and hit his eardrums like a perfect wakeup call from the whole world.

"Five more minutes, Index." Yawned as he lied down again.

"The fridge is broken."

That door swung open with lighting speed, what the eyes saw struck him with horror.

The fridge was opened, empty as you know but the light bulb inside was dead.

Wait, empty?

Kamijou stared long and hard inside the exposed shelf he hid with a white cardboard. The ultra-special price pack of puddings has GONE!?

"Touma, the fridge broke again, I saw water coming out from it this morning. And look…." Index showed him what inside her little palm.

"Index, that pudding cup….." His voice shook.

"I found five of this inside!"

Near her feet, the empty cups lied.

"Don't tell me!?"

"I ate them all! It was so delicious!"

A heavenly aura surrounded the young nun's excited figure as she continued to chew on that pudding in contrast to the hellish dark smoke engulfed Kamijou.

"Did you make this? But why did you leave a cardboard inside the fridge?"

He couldn't answer, he was in shock. Humanity's greatest final line of defense has been breached by a greedy demon.

The doll-sized Othinus appeared in the corner of his eyes. She glanced at him, clutching her tiny palm-sized pudding and brought it to her mouth.

"…you ate it, too…."

"Not much. It's unfortunate, you effort was in vain."

"You knew?"

"I understand why you have to hide those puddings from her, it was the last resort. I'll keep quiet about this. The taste was rather dull, I would prefer it more if you were the one who made it."

"Such misfortune."

The lack of sleep began to grab hold of his mind.

His back hit the wall, and his entire body slumped down, stretching on the floor. He was totally exhausted.

"Ehh? Are you still going to sleep!? What about ours breakfast!?"

"Sorry, Index. Kamijou-san doesn't have energy left to stand. Wake me up at seven, I have classes today."

"Ehh? Ehhhh!? Touma! Touma!?"

The spiky haired boy drowsed on the floor, hearing none of the nun's calling.

Inside the bathtub, the diary slipped back into the bottom, exposed its newest content.

The first line read: [The girl who was the savior of humanity.]

It was not a dream, it actually happened.

It was a once in a lifetime meeting.

From different worlds, the two protagonists of their own stories crossed path. Because they were the same.

This was an element of choice determined by his and that person's destiny.

A Strange Fate.

/

* * *

 ** ** ** ** ** ** **Author's note:********** This is not the end of the chapter yet but I think this should be a good stop from Kamijou's perspective.****

 **So what do you think?**

 **Overall, the entire crossover is about the problem of the main protagonist and the story of Fujimaru Ritsuka herself. I felt like making the reenactment of that moment in NT9 might have something meaningful to everything she went through. After all, he and she are the same.**

 **For now, enjoy the last part below.  
**

* * *

 **[Epilogue]**

It is said that the surface of the World is made up by multiple layers of the fabric of reality.

A **Texture** as each of them is called.

Somewhere in the world, there exists a certain Texture.

Putting more details into it, somewhere within the Seven Seas, there is a Texture composed entirely of ocean. Within it, an exception calmly flowing among giant rouge waves that rose up to the height of the Himalayas.

It was an island.

Looking from the outside, it appears similar to those land marks where you might think there must be a treasure hidden somewhere because there is a massive storm surrounding it all days. A land that has never appeared on the map but exists nonetheless as a myth like in the old mythical pirate stories.

It was certainly not an exaggerated story.

It was there, located between the world of man and the Reverse Side of the World.

And that submersible landmass was capable of moving around the planet.

It has a name, the **Wandering Sea**.

It was a place considers magecraft from the Age of Gods and looks down on modern magecraft.

More than 40 meters below the ocean surface, an entrance was closing.

Beyond those gates was a base. Some parts of it has been recreated with the help of a certain universal Renaissance genius and another talent from **Altas Academy**.

From here, a new home was built.

They named it **New Chaldea**.

…

…

A girl with lilac short hair was looking at the strangely calm underwater depth.

Seeing back the old place in a new light brought back nostalgia to her. Mash Kyrielight let these familiar hallways filled her with memories.

"Maybe I should do this another time." Holding a stack of documents beneath her well-endowed bosom, Mashu said to herself."I need to bring these to Da Vinci-san first."

She tried to increase her pace.

Her reflection appeared and quickly vanished on windows that showing the peaceful calm of the ocean depth.

A recently summoned Servant passed by, she bowed politely at her and Mashu did the same before continuing making her way.

Right now, the summoning ritual probably already finished.

…..after this, I should help senpai preparing her bed before she can take a decent rest.

"Hm?"

She saw the figure of a girl with auburn haired ahead.

"Senpai!" Mashu waved at her.

As she approached closer, she noticed something odd coming from the girl. For some reason, Fujimaru blushed.

Her cheek was glowing, pinkish like petals of cherry blossom.

"Senpai, it's something wrong?"

"Ah, Mashu!" Fujimaru jolted at the reliable kouhai's presence."I-It's nothing. I'm just surprised when **Lian-chan** said she wants to protect my smiling face. It makes my heart pounding a little."

Mashu closely stared at the blushing girl's face, she has some doubt.

"Senpai, are you really blushing just because Liangyu-san said those words." The kouhai almost sulked."It looks to me that you are blushing because of something else. It seems like you are day dreaming about someone."

"….…..eh?"

Taking that long delay into account, a thought instantly flared up in her mind.

"S-Senpai! C-Could it be about that mysterious boy you keep mentioning!?"

So sharp!

"…n-no, it's….it's not like…"

From pink to red, her cheek heated up.

"So it IS about him! Senpai, who is this person!? What did he do to you!?"

It took a while for Fujimaru to calm her seemingly over-jealous kouhai.

…..

…..

"By the way, senpai. About the summoning ritual, how did it go?"

"Ah, that….I successfully summoned a new Servant. Although….." She trailed off, couldn't finish her line properly.

The air suddenly burned, ashes of crimson flame spread around the corridor.

A feminine figure approached from afar.

"Mashu, as you can see, we're going to need to expand New Chaldea library." The young Master awkwardly spoke.

The flame quickly rose behind that figure of a young woman. Strangely, it didn't affect her. Instead, it came out from her, fueled by a little grudge she held against the young girl.

"Finally, it took me a while to find you. You!" A sharp glare pointed at Fujimaru."How dare you…."

The long tied hair and the revealing black dress she was wearing seemed to be caught on fire, it would not stop flickering as if it that crimson flame was a part of her existence and power.

"How dare you to be so shameless. Or more like…" Her eyes twitched, she wanted to do a face-palm. She felt what happened was so ridiculous."You have lots of nerves to do something like this! Just what are you thinking summoning me!? And how dare you ran away after seeing me, do you think I'm going to harm you or something?"

That young woman was angry.

And Fujimaru was the source of that unpleasant.

"Mashu."

"Yes, senpai?"

"I tried to summon my senior, and it worked!"

"Senpai, congratulation!"

The two girls hugged each other with joy, and the young woman looked at them in annoyance.

"Don't ignore me and stop being too happy about this! I responded to your calling, at least show your senpai some respect!"

…..

…..

Heart-warming.

That feeling filled them as they watched a century long-awaited reunion.

The beautiful **Yu Miaoyi** looked please when she met the warlord **Xiang Yu** again.

"We should give them some space." Fujimaru smiled then turned to Mashu."Let's finish today's work with those documents, then I'm going to rest for a bit."

The girl walked away, her movement was stopped by a tug from behind.

"Not yet, senpai."

"?"

"Not when I still need to hear the detail of that reaction earlier."

She still remember!?

…..

…..

The documents have been delivered.

And now, they just enjoyed the chilling calmness inside Fujimaru's new room.

"So it turned out to be like that." Mashu nodded."What Liangyu-san said reminded you about that person."

"It is." The auburn haired girl replied, her feet swung back and forth while she was sitting on her bed."Protecting my smile, that is something he would definitely say. By the way, I was trying to look for you before that."

"You were looking for me?"

Fujimaru nodded, smiling broadly as she was filled with happiness.

"When Akuta-senpai appeared after the summoning, I guess I was too excited that I ran headfirst without saying anything to her."

"Senpai, I'm happy too that your summoning succeeded but that kind of behavior toward Akuta-san is just inappropriate."

Smiling wryly, she looked at the red Command Seal at the back of the right hand.

"I know. It's just….I'm so happy…."

She didn't think of this as some sort of great feat she managed to pull like the heroes who save the world.

She was a hero no more.

She has left the title of humanity's savior behind and kept moving on the path she chose.

"I'm glad I could help Xiang Yu find peace with Yu Miaoyi-san here in New Chaldea."

She continued to help others.

An ideal which shattered into pieces has regained bit of its fragments.

"By the way, Mashu." She looked at her kouhai, a wave of expectation glittered within those iris."Have you found out anything about him?"

Mashu sulked a little at the question. She shook her head.

"We couldn't find anything, we checked every record. The name Kamijou does not included in the staff list, there's not a single trace of evidence about this person being a member of the old staff like you said."

Fujimaru let out a sigh, another fruitless success added into the countless effort they spent.

"Although….." She immediately brightened up after that single word came out. Mashu took out a scroll, opened it and showed to the girl who waited in anticipation." **Hokusai-san** and **Oui-san** gave this to me at your request, they finished the portrait of this person based on your description and they need your confirmation if this person really is the boy you're looking for."

"Really!? Let me see!"

The scroll rolled down and they scanned the image inside.

Fujimaru stared long and hard at the painting.

That pair of blue eyes with unwavering resolve.

That gravity defied spiky black haired.

That face, manly and strangely glowing in a hero-ish aura.

"No, wrong face."

"!?"

"This is the wrong detail. He's not this handsome."

"Senpai, are you sure this isn't him?"

"He looks a lot more like a normal high school boy. His appearance is pretty average."

"I see, there's another thing."

"?"

"I'm not sure if this is relevant or not, when **Musashi-san** looked at this painting, she told me something very vague and I'm not sure if we can determine it as a clue."

Hearing that stroke Fujimaru's curiosity.

"What did she tell you?"

… _ **Oho, this boy resembles The Wandering Dragon…**_

Fujimaru raised an eyebrow, it seemed vague but could this be what she needed?

"Mashu, who is this Wandering Dragon?"

"A-Apparently, Musashi-san said it was the nickname of a samurai she met long ago while she was traveling between dimensions."

"…ehhhhhh…." Her shoulder dropped in disappointment."…ahhhh…...it really is no use after all….."

Tired, she leaned back on the bed, resting her tense muscles. The concerned kouhai sat next to her.

"I'm sorry, senpai. I should have worked more diligent."

"No, Mashu. Don't blame yourself, you worked hard enough for me and everyone else." She held her hands and went to give the full-pledged human girl a big hug, embracing her warm."Thank you."

"You too, senpai." Mashu returned the hug by warping her arms around Fujimaru."Thank you for your hardwork."

The girls chuckled together.

The journey of saving the world had officially come to an end.

Now, she only fought to survive and reclaimed what is rightful for her own world, the mainstream timeline.

Right or wrong.

Just or unjust.

Nothing seems matter anymore.

She will continue to do what she does best, saving and helping others. Like the boy who wishes to protect everyone's smiles.

"…..senpai, if there's another chance, do you want to meet that person again?"

That question struck Fujimaru in the core.

Did she really want to?

It was a simple question.

She thought about it, very long, deep and very thoroughly.

"Yes."

A warm smile bloomed on Fujimaru Ritsuka's lip.

"He saved me, I want to meet him again."

The more she thought about it, the more that familiar feeling swelled inside her chest. At this point, the girl wouldn't mind letting it dominate her exposed heart.

"I want to thank him….and…."

And…

And…..

And…..

The former regular high school girl closed her eyes.

"…..and…respond…..to his…..feeling….."

That would be enough.

Her breathing gradually slowed down as her consciousness loosened its grip on reality.

Her head drooped down, relaxing on Mashu's shoulder.

The girl with lilac short haired gently laid her senpai on the bed. She carefully removed the hair tie holding her side ponytail and covered that peaceful sleeping figure with a blanket.

"Rest, senpai. You worked hard."

Yes.

Take a good rest, Fujimaru Ritsuka.

Hopefully, someday, your wish will be granted.

/

* * *

 ** ** ** ** **And that's the end of this little crossover project.********** ** ** ** ** ** **I will get back to my tight schedule and hopefully, m** **aybe another story like this will start in the future chapters of Diary.************

 **R** ** ** ** **eview the chapter if you please, I will see you again in the next update.********


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